Chasing the Lion    by A.J. Tata Order:  USA  Can St. Martin's, 2021 (2021) Hardcover, e-Book     Reviewed by Hilary Williamson Here's another high octane thriller from A.J. Tata (also author of the Threat series), Chasing the Lion. The lead this time is Army Lieutenant General Garrett Sinclair who works with his Joint Special Operations Command team. They are up against Sinclair's nemesis, Dariush Parizad, Lion of Tabas, a hero of the Iranian revolution, recognized by the ayatollah himself. As the story opens, General Parizad leads the terrorist Quds Force, which plans a horrific attack against the U.S. on the Inauguration Day to swear in a first female U.S. President, Kim Campbell. The attack will unleash a biochemical weapon and psychoactive viral agent, Demon Rain (a mind-altering drug), on unsuspecting civilians. Reeling from the death of his beloved wife Melissa, Sinclair is with his team investigating a mass grave in the Iranian desert - they find a cave full of bodies, victims of Demon Rain. There's one survivor, Garrett's old friend, Mossad agent Dr. Ben David. Later, an operation in Germany finds more victims - and a video that brings the plot much too close to home for Garrett. There are surprises and betrayals, captures and escapes, and constant over the top action. Garrett has a direct line to the President-Elect, an old friend of Melissa's, and this comes in handy. As events escalate to an explosive conclusion, Garrett is himself a victim of Demon Rain - will he succumb to its effects? Though Chasing the Lion is a gripping read, I enjoyed some of the author's commentary as much as the thriller itself. For example: 'The anchor for factual data had lifted from the seafloor of truth ... Everyone wrote history. Whichever mob could swarm the Wiki page, search engine, or social media platform would elevate that version in the rankings. History and facts were now the domain of popularity.' 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