This is the first novel devoted to Cotton Malone mentored Luke Daniels. The book was engaging and a quick read. I was to guess what was behind the events that occured in the book during the first 25%, but there was one unexpected twist at the end. Overall, a good start to the series.

I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon and my nonfiction book review blog.

Thanks to Netgalley and Grand Central for gifting me an early copy. Below you'll find my honest review.

What a wild ride! I've loved Luke Daniels since he was introduced in Berry's long-running Cotton Malone series as a side character, and I'm really happy he got his own novel (and according to the authors, two more upcoming sequels!).

This one tackles the assassination of JFK, and spins a tale surrounding what actually happened that day in November 1963. As Luke and his old friend Jillian race around the world, following bread crumbs, their lives oare seriously on the line. While obviously Luke has plot armor, the stakes still seemed really high. It was a lot of fun, and I definitely can't wait to pick up the next one.

You don't really need to read the Cotton Malone series before reading this one, but if you like this one, check those out while you wait for the second Luke book!

Luke Daniels is between assignments for the Magellan Billet when he gets an SOS call from an old friend. When he rushes to help, he finds himself in the middle of a war between two stubborn sides, which has already taken one life and will likely claim more. Just how far will someone go to keep a secret that’s been hidden for more than 50 years?

I became a Steve Berry fan when I read the first Cotton Malone book many years ago, and I know I can count on him to tell a good tale. The introduction of Luke Daniels into the Cotton books was great, and I was one of those readers who had been hoping that Luke would get his own book, so I was thrilled by the idea of this book. To learn that it’s the first book of a series made it even better :) I like Luke’s character, perhaps because I see a lot “Pappy” in him. He has a strong sense of right and wrong, and doesn’t hesitate to do what he thinks is right, even though some of those actions may come back to bite him later.

As is my custom, I did not read the book blurb before starting this book (blurbs often give away too much of the plot!), and it took a while to get into the heart of the story, so I was surprised to realize that the historical event at the center of the book is the assassination of JFK. As usual from a Steve Berry book, I learned a lot about the details of that day, and had plenty to think about when I finished the book. The story was well-crafted, with plenty of twists and turns that kept me guessing almost to the very last page. I can’t wait to read the next Luke Daniels story, but I hope we get a new Cotton Malone book first.

This novel starts off a little slow, and to be honest once 1 word was mentioned I understood what the mystery was that was going to have an answer sought after. I will say this, as the novel progressed I got more and more obsessed with reading what was going to come next that I didn't even realize that I was practically done with the novel. Now I am not a huge Luke Daniels fan, he's just not my cup of tea. But this novel really gives him his own story and really makes you appreciate who he is as a character. I was not expecting the twist at the end and had to actually go back to read the part again at least 3 times to make sure I didn't read it wrong.

Truly a fun story, even though it started off slow it ended with a bang. Highly recommend.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a chance to read this novel before publication.

Steve Berry is one of my favorites. This will be a good new series. I like how he mixes real events and fiction. Good plot but this one is far fetched

Once the obligatory chases and gun fights and harrowing unlikely escapes were paused, this story got much more engrossing. The alternative scenario regarding the JFK assassination was well thought-out, technically-convincing, and added much to the enjoyment of the book.
I gave it the following SCORE:
Setting: Many diverse locales - Belgium, Luxembourg, Louisiana, Wyoming, and the Bahamas
Characters: Protagonists Luke Daniels and Jillian Stein along with an extensive and varied list of villains, evil-doers, and brilliant munitions experts.
Overview: Hero Luke, a superior trained member of the super-secret US agency titled the Magellan Billet, comes to the rescue of Jillian, a damsel in distress (even though she’s a highly capable and tough former Marine), and they begin an international trek to solve why her grandfather was murdered in order to recover a treasured, historic rifle.
Recommendation: I rate this book 3 stars.
Extras: Books with intrigue involving the Kennedy assassination always hold some interest for the possibility of examining a new way to look at that historic event. This is the saving grace of this tale. The presentation of the facts is well done and the different perspective of the November 22, 1963 historic event is engaging. I am always somewhat suspicious of the quality of writing in books with dual authors like the James Patterson mill and this one falls into that category.
In summary, if you like lots of chasing around with shootouts and a relatively simple, straight-forward plot line, you may be tempted to enjoy this without having to think too hard. I will reserve the decision to read the other two books in the Luke Daniels series to come.
Thanx to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the opportunity to provide this unbiased review.

First, I want to thank the authors, the publisher, and NetGalley for making an ARC of this book available to review. I assert my review is original and unbiased.

I've read a number of Steve Berry's books that take the reader on an exploratory historic adventure, usually with his main protagonist Cotton Malone. This book differs in that Berry has added a capable co-author in Grant Blackwood, and this work marks the solo debut of young Luke Daniels, introduced in earlier books in the series as a member of the Magellan Billet unit.

As typical with a Berry book things take off quickly. Luke Daniels has received a message of "help" from an old friend named Jillian Stein,. She is in Belgium, and believes her life is in danger. Daniels arrives on the scene just in time to stop a team of mercenaries from killing her, but her grandfather dies in the attack. Why was Jillian and her grandfather targeted? What secrets/information did they possess?

Without creating spoilers that's enough to get you interested. Daniels and Stein find themselves moving quickly from country to country searching for clues as to what is happening.. Readers are also introduced to the mysterious Thomas Rowland, another elderly man but one who is very powerful and will use whatever means necessary to get what he wants. Daniels discovers that Rowland is the man behind the murder of Jillian's grandfather.

It turns out the grandfather was one of three men who had a particular interest in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy which took place in 1963. At the time of the assassination, Thomas Rowland was a Secret Service agent in the trailing car of the motorcade that drove through Dealy Plaza on November 22. How is all of this connected?

The 9th Man is about the 9th member of the Secret Service detail charged with protecting President Kennedy on his ill-fated trip to Texas. The book moves at a fast pace, and will keep you reading late in to the night.

If you like historical fiction with a mix of action-adventure you will enjoy this book. I highly recommend it for a great summer read.

Luke receives a call for help from an old friend. She is in danger and he rushes to help. They are pursued by teams of trained men who will stop at nothing. Why are they after them and what secrets do they hope to conceal by killing Luke and his friend. The further into this they go the more information they find out about a historical event in US History. Things may not have happened the way most people believe. Someone with a lot of money doesn’t want the information to come to light. Cotton Malone isn't in the book but Luke hears his voice in his head. This book opens with suspense and never slows down. Luke will have to use all his skills and a lot of luck to come out alive at the end of this adventure. This is the first book in a new series and I look forward to the next book. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

Steve Barry introduces a new protagonist to his work. This book gestures Luke Daniel and not Cotton Malone. I like how Mr. Barry incorporates historical events into his thrillers. This time it is the Kennedy assassination. Enjoyable airplane read.

I received a copy of this title from the publisher; all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. The 9th Man is the first title to feature Luke Daniels who was first introduced in a Cotton Malone book and has made several appearances since. This also marks the first time that Mr. Berry has collaborated with Mr. Blackwood; the result is a fantastic title on par with the Agent Pendergast series that is co-written by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Childs. The book opens with Luke traveling to Belgium after receiving a request from help from Jillian, a former flame of his. He arrives just in time to see a hit team that ends up killing Jillian's grandfather. Uncertain exactly what her grandfather was involved in, it quickly becomes apparent that someone is willing to do whatever it takes to prevent Luke and Jillian from discovering the truth. On the run, the duo travel to Louisiana, Texas, Wyoming, DC, and the Bahamas in pursuit of the truth.

This is one of the best reads of 2023 for me to date; I only stopped reading it when forced by real life and I resented the interruptions. The book starts with a bang and the surprises never stop coming. As with the Cotton Malone series, Mr. Berry takes a historical event and spins an alternate history that almost feels more real than the actual one. In this case, the historical event is the JFK assassination which has been a source of fascination for decades with no sign of that changing anytime soon despite the passage of time. After reading this book, I could be convinced that events happened as described it is that well done. I'm pleased that there are additional titles featuring Luke planned and can't wait to see what this collaboration creates next.

A powerful “fixer”. A catastrophic mistake, long buried but coming to light. Will power or the truth prevail?

If you have read any of the Cotton Malone books by Steve Berry, then you know Luke Daniels, aka “Frat Boy”, a newer member of the Magellan Billet organization. A former Ranger and nephew of a US president, he is smart, highly trained, and accustomed to acting quickly to solve problems. When Luke receives a phone call from his old flame Jillian Stein saying that she has made a horrible mistake and is now in danger, he heads straight to Belgium to back her up. He arrives to find a team of assassins entering the house where she has been staying; gunfire ensues, an elderly man is found dead, and Jillian is gone Luke is able to connect with Jillian by phone, and discovers that the dead man was her grandfather Benji. He was a man with secrets, and while Jillian doesn’t know what exactly those secrets are, she seems to have inadvertently set in motion a purge of any who are involved with them. So begins a cat and mouse game between Luke and Jillian and the mercenaries who work for Thomas Rowland, a power broker in DC with connections everywhere who has made a career of uncovering the secrets and misdeeds of others. Rowland wields that knowledge like a weapon, and now that his own past mistake is on the verge of being revealed, he will stop at nothing to extinguish anyone who might know of it. Traveling from Europe to the swamps of Louisiana and a remote mountainous area in the western US, Luke and Jillian piece together the scant clues left behind by Benji and his contacts. Rowland is a formidable enemy, and despite his skills and experience Luke will need a tremendous amount of luck to come out of this adventure alive.
In what is projected to be the first of three Luke Daniels novels, Steve Berry and coauthor Grant Blackwood have taken many of the elements that make the Cotton Malone series so enjoyable and transferred them to this story. Like Malone, Luke Daniels combines a shrewd mind with a well-trained body to combat his enemies, winning against seemingly insurmountable odds. He accepts help from whatever quarter he feels will benefit him, including from women like Jillian and Stephanie Nelle (head of the Magellan Billet) who are every bit as tough and smart as he is. There is a historical puzzle here as well, though the reader doesn’t find out exactly what it is until halfway through the book. And while Cotton Malone himself doesn’t appear in the book, his presence is hovering nearby….Luke hears Malone’s voice in his head, tempering his brash instincts as he finds himself embroiled in chaos, and at one point Stephanie indicates that Malone will be sent to retrieve an item Luke left behind. As I have come to expect from author Berry, The 9th Man is a quick moving, action-packed thriller, with plot twists aplenty. While I wish that the historical “hook” was made clear a little earlier in the novel, I will admit that it did not dissuade me from reading the book straight through. As a character, Luke was more than able to carry the story, and I think that fans of the Cotton Malone series will enjoy this new offshoot every bit as much. If you like your mystery with a dose of history, this will appeal as well, especially if you’ve ever wondered what really happened on November 22, a963, in Dallas TX. Many thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for providing me access to an advanced reader’s copy of The 9th Man….I will look forward to the next installment!