Into the Fire

The Sword of God is Book 5 in Mark Dawson's John Milton Series. 

John Milton is basically hiking across America just because he can. When he gets to a small town in Michigan called, of all things, Truth, he finds out the only truth available is that once again he must help rescue a girl's brother and for the umpteenth time, death is a definite threat. 

When John Milton gets arrested for a bar fight where he merely defends himself against a drunken attorney on a hunting holiday, the sheriff relents when he learns that John was a fellow soldier. After the sheriff apologizes and drops him off at his motel, the young girl (Mallory) John noticed following them approaches him to plead with him to help her find her brother (Arthur/Artie) who's gotten mixed up with the wrong group of guys and hasn't come home. Artie is handicapped and unsuspecting, and Mallory fears for his life.

Special Agent Ellie Flowers arrived with her FBI partner-slash-married lover (Orville) to find four young bank robbers rumored to be in Truth, but their limited search revealed nothing in spite of a young girl's claims that she knew they were way up in the woods by a lake and had convinced her handicapped brother to go with them. Ellie decides to stay over even as Orville protests her decision. Somehow the unlikely trio of John, Mallory, and Ellie head for the hills to find Artie and possibly the four criminals. 

This is one harrowing trek John never anticipated. Little did he know who was behind these young criminals and the raging battle he was ill-prepared to face. But then, the only ones more ill-prepared are the foes of John Milton. 

When John witnesses an attempted attack on Mallory and Artie, the white-hot, blood-red rush of John's past floods his soul, and from that point on, his mission is secured. Wounded, without weapons of any consequence, he knows what must be done and he's the only one who can possibly do it.   

There is nothing more disturbing to a Christian than the truth of God's word being perverted and used by all different kinds of cults to further their unscrupulous and often deadly agendas. This particular cult is hell-bent to do "the Lord's work", but the "lord" they serve is the devil himself. Self-righteous and violent, they have a mission to conduct, and John Milton is clearly in the way. When he discovers what they've done and are planning to do, there's simply no way he's not going to stop it. 

And there is nothing more aggravating than having these cults which demonstrate the politically far-left (as in Nazi/Fascism intent) ideologies described as "far-right". That's not to say there aren't extremists in any ideologies, but there's zero right wing philosophy in this cult and its self-described leader as The Sword of God. Yes, it sounds like conservative ideals in wanting smaller government that adheres to the Constitution, but desiring that outcome by fascist means has zero to do with conservatism. 

The intense struggle is very well done, the anxiety amped up to a fever pitch. John Milton is acutely tested in this one-against-many survival thriller.

There's a short window of time after the entire ordeal is over that Milton contemplates a relationship with the brave and slightly brazen Special Agent Ellie Flowers, but when his desire meets with his compulsion to keep moving and the necessity of keeping secrets, he does what he inevitably does . . . and keeps going.

Profanity present.

Saving . . . Salvation Row 

Salvation Row by Mark Dawson is Book 6 in the John Milton Series. 

Salvation Row begins with a recalled incident back when John was still with Group 15 on an assignment in New Orleans right before Hurricane Katrina is scheduled to hit the city. His partner on this assignment is the hacking guru Ziggy who desperately wanted to participate in field work. This is his big chance. It doesn't end well as one assigned is neutralized but one escapes and nearly ends it all for the ambitious Ziggy. 

During the melee that erupts during Katrina, John and Ziggy are helped by a family who live in the Lower Ninth Ward where the most damage and destruction occurs.

Switch to the present time when John happens to discover that the daughter of that family has organized a charity she's named "Build It Up" back in this devastated area of New Orleans where her family lived. She's building new homes for the displaced residents and the neighborhood is called Salvation Row. He grabs a flight to New Orleans determined to pay back the favor the family did for Ziggy and him so many years ago. A simple act of gratitude that encompasses so much more than he ever expected and requires locating the ghosted Ziggy to enlist his help in a matter going horribly wrong.

A wealthy and wicked former soldier has become a land baron and wants the land Isadora Bartholomew has bought for Build It Up. His associate and problem solver hires thugs to threaten the Bartholomew family when Izzy refuses to sell the area to him and takes him to court to stave off his power grab where he intends to build a huge mall. The man has no intention of taking "no" for an answer, and he's bought and paid for people in every area of New Orleans government. Hence, his associate is forced to bring in a heavy hitter. Now everyone is at risk including John.

When John realizes who he's facing, he's stunned as he recalls the professional acquaintance of a Mossad agent named Avi Bachman during a joint mission when he was still with Group 15. At that time he recognized the intense skills and psychopathic personality of Avi Bachman, a force not to be treated lightly – especially since he obviously wasn't dead as he was reported to be.

The story now becomes predator versus predator. Ziggy is summoned to help and as everyone up against Avi (aka Claude Boon) learns the hard way, he's a dead serious assassin- for-hire. In the midst of the plight to one of John's necessary rescues, something unexpected happens, determining for "Boon" that John Milton will be his next victim. 

It's a grueling battle both in court and out of court. Ziggy works frantically to find what John and Izzy both need and is successful until he's not. John knows it's going to get ugly but just how ugly he couldn't predict. 

Salvation Row slides and jerks along with threats both minor and major in the grueling humidity and heat. As usual, this is no small battle for John whose personal efforts to overcome his past continue to require the opposite of what he hopes to achieve. 

Profanity present. 

(*Side note: Mark Dawson said he donated to and based the charity in this story on Brad Pitt's efforts in New Orleans with his "Make It Right" charity which sadly turned out badly.)

Father, only you see and can change hearts. Only you. Please continue to bless Mark's writing life with new insights. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.