RELOAD : DAVID MC Caleb

Red Harmon just wants to live his life with his family without looking over his shoulder. Someone is after him or maybe his wife, Lori too as the first scenes in the book are filled with violence, attacks, tension and an enemy that remains elusive is stalking Red Harmon and his family. As you get the meet him and understand his job as the covert leader of a group called DET, Red has yet to uncover a counterfeit plot that spans the snow-covered mountains and ravines of North Korea.
 Lori his wife for all outward purposes is in the finance department of the CIA and although she seems like a typical mom living in the suburbs she is anything but. Secrets are at the root of this novel and although Lori and Red are married and share Intel in this case doors are closed and someone has to unveil the truths before more lives are lost. Meet the guards, soldiers and higher ups in North Korea and learn what they have been planning regarding our 100-dollar bill and how they plan to reproduce it and use it as currency. Meet the Red’s team of covert operatives that are dangerous, deadly and you wonder at times that can be trusted. When his superior finds out that he is taking on this OP as the head of it the response is not what he expected but he forges ahead anyway because somehow the CIA has a mole that is leaking information to the North Koreans and at this time it’s difficult to tell if someone close to him just might be the mole. Distrust reigns over this novel and the people Red is supposed to trust as Carter seems to ignore what Red thinks and claims the end result will not be in his hands and if someone close to him is dirty then this person will be taken out. With the help of an entire team whose names were changed to protect their identities, Ko the Korean guard who has no choice but to help the Americans is a great character who shows initiative, loyalty and manages to get his sister and daughter out of a dangerous and deadly prison in order to restore our national security and safety.
Lori worked on financial intelligence and terrorism funding tops the list gut they deal with all economic espionage or anything that threatens our financial standing. Mossad was involved but how and according to Carter he’s not worried about them but in this case it’s hard to tell whom to trust on every side. The author presents doubts that will linger until the very end is revealed. Red was a military operation and not an investigator. His special ops background as related by the author was mottled and it spans two different military branches, which includes a stint in Force Recon, the US Marines special operations. He is now heading the DET: Detachment 5 of Special Operations Command. It consists of a battlefield where cooperative members share intelligence, assets, and efforts for the common good. No single co-op owned the DET. They were a fusion cell. Red was the commander in charge.

Enter Zhang Dawe whose primary goal it is to take down those that took his family away and his life. Watching his father beaten and then killing his family his revenge seemed justified to take out his uncle.

The author relates that sources indicate that North Korea has started production of an accurate US hundred dollar bill. Over 60 percent of legit US hundreds are circulated outside of our borders and North Korea has been a source of counterfeit currency. Imagine the fact that these bills are so good that they get past screening and are almost flawless. To make matters graver China provided the press and the technical specs were leaked but Red has his mind on Lori and had not spoken to her in several days. But, how could North Korean counterfeiting operation get through unnoticed and she was working fintel. The ministry of intelligence is performing a balancing act, ensuring the counterfeit flow is steady providing benefit but not so much that it would harm Chinese interests. They feel this did not include or have anything to do with the People’s Bank of China and are proposing a solution. Ko now turned against his country and would be contacted to complete a mission or his sister and daughter would be killed. Called Sangsa he is told to not ask questions just follow orders.
Marksman was sent to protect Lori and yet what happens to him was not expected and the revelation that he is gone adds to the suspicion that Lori might be the leak or the mole but is that true? The CIA used Marksman just like Mossad to provide humint only. They claim he had no access to anything deeper and he sold the Intel gathered from his experience with DET to China, North Korea and not long ago after the DET blew up their newest ballistic missile, the KN-08 on the test pad therefore the DET is compromised with both Korea and China.

The joint op if it succeeds is to erase the leaks and destroy North Korea’s counterfeit capabilities at the same time while the CIA deals with China. The DET will handle North Korea.
This would be as the author relates a joint operation that would happen at the same time. Hit all three and nothing should be left. Javeick questioned that he was being asked to authorize an op to blow up the entire data system of China’s Ministry of Intelligence and the response was CIA Takes those all three will be hit by an electromagnetic pulse: an EMP erasing the data. All they want is his approval for the DET striking North Korea’s Ministry of State Security facility in Chongjin where the mole is supposed to make the final transactions. This plot is multi-level and complex as we learn more about the mole being on site and treason but who is the mole? Whether it is authorized or not they intend to do what is necessary and the allegations against Marksman True or False?

Harmon wanted this to end because of the numerous threats against his family and he hoped that this could be done without any trace left behind but the ending will show you the reader. If they eliminate China, the DET will take care of North Korea and he hoped Javick would accept this.

Information alights that someone was ordering as Jamison reveals Marksman to shadow the asset, ensuring protection making it appear that he was an uncover bodyguard which is why he was at Red’s house but how was he connected to Lori? If Marksman was dirty what about Lori? Reloading means to reload the ammunition and they certainly do in the last few chapters as the mole is on foot, the final outcome is about to be revealed but not before guards are eliminated, things are scatted, Mule Neck kicked in the door when Red was about to take him down, will he succeed when coming face to face with the enemy? Within pages 267 we hear the voice of Lanyard, Cooley and we see a women coming out but who is it and is it Lori? Using other names to identify those within this mission Ko is hunched below the dashboard of his vehicle the man in charge is called Jellyfish and his threat to kill his sister and daughter are what’s keeping Ko fixed on the operation. Chapter 35 is crucial to the operation and Ko hoped to save his Soo Jin by making her drink or at least eat something but the tension is heavy and the end result you will have to learn for yourself. Jamison did more digging on Marksman laptop and Mossad as they suspected was doing their own investigation into the intelligence leak. Was it linked to the CIA?

While this was happening Zhang had to get both pallets of capacitors in place and working with a threat to his life if he failed by the man in charge called Blue Tie. Was Blue tie linked to the Ministry of Intelligence? An antenna had to be placed in the right spot and specific lights has to work and light up at the right time for their plan to work. When is it supposed to go off and if the antenna is loose or out of place the man won’t work. Ko Chung, Zwang both in a mission for someone else and both threatened if they fail. Ko Chung working for the Americans and Zhang for the other side who will succeed as the violence erupts, the heart stopping ending will keep you wondering if Red and his team and the others will survive the oozing infections, ammonia, fecal matter and the smells of poor sanitation as the missions come to a violent close and Ko faces off with a young guard and hopes he will come out the winner. The ending will leave you with many unanswered questions and wondering if Red can place his faith in his wife if they ever connect or will the weapons be drawn again, the missions going ahead while Red joins his teammates and once again might have RELOAD.

Characters that are tough, well disciplined and a plot that could be ripped right out of the headlines. Will Korea and China succeed in the plans to reproduce our 100-dollar bill? Is Lori dirty? Only author David McCaleb knows the answer to these questions not even Red Harmon can tell us. Great book, great suspense can’t wait to see what is going to happen next.

Fran Lewis: Just reviews/MJ magazine