The Bottom Line: An ensemble action thriller that delivers epic action scenes and enigmatic heroes.
Operation Storm’s Eye, the first book in E.S. Benton’s Silent Codename Series, details the activities of an enigmatic armed strike force that calls itself Alpha Team. But Alpha Team isn’t directly affiliated with any government. “We are not soldiers,” one of its members declares. “We have no book to go by. We save as many people as possible, by any means necessary.”
The team consists of people from several walks of life: a chemist, a former spy, and a “computer expert” among them. In the book’s first chapter, the team splits into two during a night mission and is faced with the dilemma of using lethal force or not. Alpha Two successfully neutralizes three guards using stealth and hand-to-hand combat before eventually finding their target, a 60-year-old accountant named Mr. Wilson, who is associated with a group called M.N.G.W.A. – which wants to “take over the world” – as well as another group called the Night Vipers, which dates back to 1918.
Benton has created a complex, multi-layered world in which – between a multitude of high-octane action scenes – the identities of people and groups are gradually peeled away. Codenames are used during operations, and consequently, patience is required before we start getting to know members of the group, including Daniel, Scott and Mike. This is all by design, of course. Rather than focus on any one character, Benton has created an ensemble action thriller, gradually illuminating the nature of the mission, the enemy and the team members themselves.
Readers who love non-stop action will relish much of the book, the highlight of which is an undersea conflict that comes courtesy of a breathless submarine assault. The sense of claustrophobia and urgency is worth the price of admission, as is the hilarity of the team members being instructed by VOICE (“Very Overly Intelligent Computer Expert), who proclaims, “I know I’ve taken over from a dead guy, but…”
As Benton’s title indicates, readers can look forward to some extremely severe weather that provides a visceral backdrop to Alpha Team’s ongoing mission. Figuring out how the first natural disaster appears to come out of nowhere and who is behind it is part of the fun. Just as Benton drops some major reveals, the book drops the mic with a gruesome cliffhanger – setting the stage for the second series installment. We’re all in.
