Rogue Threat    by A. J. Tata Order:  USA  Can Variance Publishing, 2009 (2009) Hardcover, e-Book     Reviewed by Hilary Williamson A. J. Tata's Rogue Threat, the sequel to Sudden Threat, is an extreme rollercoaster ride of high octane action, with rifles shooting and rockets exploding from ambush at every twist and turn. Since there are many references to the first adventure, I recommend reading Sudden Threat before opening this one. A Prologue takes readers to a 1991 Desert Storm battle in Iraq, in which Zachary Garrett captured Iraqi General Jacques Ballantine and shot his brother Henri, earning Jacques' lifelong enmity. Ballantine had an insurance policy, a get-out-of-jail-free card, that he used to good effect. Now, twelve years later, with access to the infamous WMDs and the support of various rogue nations, Ballantine executes his revenge. The primary lead in this military thriller is CIA agent Matt Garrett, injured in the Philippines (where his beloved brother Zachary died while saving his life) in Sudden Threat. Matt had been investigating a high level U.S. conspiracy by a group who called themselves the Rolling Stones - and still wonders what happened to missing Predator weapons and what risk they might pose to his country. Matt is recovering at his Virginia home, when a mysterious visitor shows up. Peyton O'Hara tells Matt that Vice President Hellerman (Matt's ex-fiancée Meredith works for him and supports his Rebuild America program) requires his services on a special anti-terrorist task force. When they meet, Hellerman reveals that Ballantine is operating a fishing company from Canada, using a Sherpa to smuggle chemicals and biological agents into the U.S.. Hellerman orders them to Fort Bragg. Unfortunately, their jet is rerouted. It goes down. There are captures and escapes, and an amnesiac commando is dropped in solo to take out Ballantine, his identity a suprise to both the General and to Matt. There's an expert on nanotechnology, who applied bee swarming to weapons design. And Ballantine orchestrates a bunch of attacks on America's heartland, that kill thousands. But there's much worse to come - unless Matt and Peyton can track down their adversary and stop him before it's too late. To make their job harder, Ballantine has support at high levels in the U.S. military command structure - who can they trust? Like its predecessor, Rogue Threat is an exciting and suspenseful read. It's worthy of note that A. J. Tata (a retired Brigadier General with an impressive military resumé) donates 100% of series royalties to the USO Metro DC Hospital fund for Wounded Warriors. Don't miss Rogue Threat and watch out for the next in the series, Hidden Threat. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Mystery books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews