I can not believe how these books just keep getting better and better. There are five star ratings, and then there are FIVE STAR RATINGS - this book falls into the latter category, and to be honest, I already had a feeling that this was going to be the rating after just a few chapters in. It started off with a bang and never let up. Sometimes I am flabbergasted that these two authors are not as hugely popular as they should be. I do know that they WILL be, it is just a matter of time because they are THAT good.

This writing duo of Andrews and Wilson currently have about 4 or 5 active series going on at the same time (they are ALL fantastic and yet so very different) that are each set in different worlds with the exception of 2. "The Tier One" and "Sons of Valor" series are set in the same world and lately we have been seeing some character crossover. As a huge fan of each series, it is always fun to get to see some of the people that we have grown to really like pop in and make "cameo appearances" and sometimes they even have important reasons for doing so -we already saw this happen several times in past books with the Jake storyline (when Chunk was checking in on him for John).

Anyway, this book started off a bit differently. We get a prologue that starts in the middle of something that is going to occur much, much later in the book. Some very chilling events have been set in motion, and it doesn't take long to realize that things have gone very, VERY wrong for Dempsey and Task Force Ember. With that Prologue coming before the book even really started, I was somewhat nervous during the entire book knowing that eventually we were going to get to the events in the Prologue. Was the team going to be able to rescue Dempsey in time? Did they walk in to a set up all along?

The entire book continued to build up the tension level in my mind, and I kept going back and forth trying to figure out how Task Force Ember was going to get out of this eventual situation (and to be honest, how they even got in that mess to begin with). Needless to say, my level of investment was crazy high, and I flew through the book because I just HAD to know what was going to happen.

As always, this book did not let me down. There were a couple of different storylines going on concurrently and it was interesting trying to figure out how they were all going to intersect. We are again dealing with the Chinese MSS (and their CRAZY, psychopathic mission leader/spy on the ground in America) and their attempts to spy on America's newest technological addition to the bomber class jet- the new B-21 Ranger. One of their missions was to destroy the new prototype jet on the Air Force base runway before it became exponentially harder (and virtually impossible) to do so once the B-21 got in the air. To be honest though, the fact that we actually DID let the Chinese buy up so much land right next door to several military bases in real life is just mind boggling. This story arc, while fiction, shows America's complacently in not realizing what was happening with the acquisition of all these parcels of land until after it was too late. I think Americans sometimes underestimate the levels that other enemy states are willing to go to in order to knock the US down and keep us down, creating vulnerabilities that are not easily remedied.

There is also the break though hack to Task Force Ember's computer firewall that gave them access to information that VERY few people - even at the highest levels of government - were read in on. Personal and family information of all of the team members, organizational structure, and operation information on current and past missions - gave the Chinese unprecedented information and access that could be used to create and implement successful attacks on the US (this is not a spoiler as it is alluded to in the prologue)

So, another absolute winner! While this could probably be read as a stand alone if you have not started on this series, but you would be doing yourselves a disservice if you did not go and find book one and start from there. It is most DEFINITELY worth it!

Thank you to NetGalley and to Blackstone Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. This book will be out for publication on July 21, 2026.

Another successful book by Andrews and Wilson. I am always trying to catch up with the adventures of John Dempsey and Task Force Ember. The action has always been intense and the duo of authors do a very good job of bringing raw and high stakes situations for the characters to be in. This was fun to read through and I cannot wait for the next adventure.

Andrews and Wilson continue proving why the Tier One series sits at the top of the military thriller genre with Insurgent. This book is loaded with high-octane split-second decisions, black widow assassins from North Korea, a terrorist organization operating out of Yemen, kamikaze drones culminating in a covert shadow war with Chinese Special Forces that feels alarmingly plausible in today’s geopolitical climate. Task Force Ember is compromised, the stakes are sky high, and every tactical sequence feels razor sharp and brutally authentic. The weapons, the strategy, the operational details, the pacing, all of it is executed at a level very few authors can touch. Some of the combat and tactical scenes in this installment are easily among the best the series has ever delivered.. And yes, Chunk showing up absolutely counts as a highlight.

What continues to impress me most about this duo is how carefully they build this world over time. They answer lingering questions from previous books while planting seeds for what is still to come, rewarding longtime readers in a way that feels intentional and satisfying instead of forced. Their ability to foreshadow events without drawing attention to it is honestly uncanny. Connections click into place at unexpected moments and make you appreciate just how layered these stories really are. The evolving father and son dynamic between Dempsey and Jake Kemper adds an emotional depth that strengthens the story instead of slowing it down. Jake is cut straight out of Dempsey’s ass, and watching Dempsey wrestle with vulnerability and change after following him since the beginning of the series was surprisingly emotional in the best way possible. Meanwhile, Elizabeth Grimes, The Angel of Death, might be one of the coolest characters they have ever created because honestly, who would not want to be her for five minutes? Andrews and Wilson have honed this genre to a fine edged sword, and Insurgent is another reminder that they know exactly how to balance explosive action with characters readers are deeply invested in.

Gritty, fast-paced and suspenseful, Insurgent is a unflinching, hard-edged, intricately plotted thriller that will keep you up late into the night. Brian Andrews and Jeffrey Wilson once again bring the heat with another masterfully crafted, intense, and emotionally draining thriller.

John Dempsey and his team have an opportunity to take out a high-value target in Yemen, when it all goes to hell and reveals that Task Force Ember’s technology might have been infiltrated by foreign adversaries. Leading to a deadly cat and mouse game with a brilliant and psychotic Chinese operative with grandiose plans to strike massive blows to the United States and Dempsey personally. Including the targeting of Dempsey’s son, Jake, and his SEAL team who find themselves in the middle of the action near a critical US Air Force base. Attempting to tame the beast inside him, Dempsey must outsmart his enemy before he can enact his devilish plans and send the United States into chaos.

Insurgent is a superb continuation of the beloved Tier One series, containing everything you’ve come to expect from the dynamic duo of Andrews and Wilson. Relentless pacing and a constant sense of urgency. Well developed characters fueled by conflict and complex feelings. High stakes, geopolitically and personally, with life and death consequences. A masterful chess match between the good guys and the bad guys. A scary level of realism that makes you think about how this plot could actually be happening right now without us knowing about it. And, of course, action sequences that are tense, tactically authentic, and unrivaled in the genre. In addition, we get to witness Dempsey’s continued emergence as a strategic leader and more self-aware operator/individual. All packaged together to deliver a gripping, pulse-pounding, impossible to put down page-turner that will have you holding your breath before fist pumping in triumph.