I’m a fan of The Unit. I was drawn to the show immediately because I like covert ops/military tales. If they’re done well. The television episodes are great, a good mix of military tech and human drama. Sadly, a lot of that is missing in this first novel of a paperback series.
The biggest thing missing out of this book is any drama including the wives. They’re barely even mentioned, and even then it is in a sophomoric way, as when Bob Brown reflects on the fact that there isn’t time for a good-bye quickie. It makes it sound like he is going to work at McDonald's rather than getting dropped into a jungle in the African Congo where he has a good chance of getting killed.
I don’t know what the exact demographic is of the watchers who follow the television series, but I know I enjoy the stories about the wives. They keep everything real, and they remind us of the way of life and the people Blane and the other Unit members are fighting to keep safe. After I saw that they were MIA, I figured this book was just for the boys.
Somewhat disappointed, I settled in and turned my “boy” mindset up to full. If the book was written for the “Guns & Ammo” crowd, I could handle that. Growing up in southern Oklahoma around peace officers and military guys, I’m very familiar with that mindset.
Patrick Andrews is technically and geographically savvy. Military training and travel show in his writing. Unfortunately, those things show too much at times. The pages are liberally drenched with heavy public info spots that really get in the way of the story at times. Backgrounds of characters are dropped in bio bombs.
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