High Treason (Tom Locke Book 3)

Sean McFate

William Morrow

June 9th, 2020

High Treason by Sean McFate is an authentic thriller. The story has plenty of political intrigue and is action packed. There are explosive assassinations, heated gun battles, and trying to decipher who are the good guys and who are the bad guys.

Tom Locke, the protagonist of the story, is staying with a good friend in Israel.  He watches an explosion of a bridge that takes out the Vice-President and his wife. Realizing that it is too sophisticated a job for the suspected culprits, Islamic terrorists, Locke believes his former employer, a high-tech mercenary organization, Apollo Outcomes, is responsible.

The author explained, “It is never the case where everything fits nicely into Column A and Column B.  I was under contract as a paramilitary in Africa.  We helped stopped a genocide in Rwanda and took care of war lords in West Africa.  These are things I would be proud of if I was still in uniform as a US Army paratrooper.  While in Africa, I did some intelligence stuff merged with some Special Ops stuff. I try to use fiction to pull back the curtain on mercenaries.  They do things the US military cannot do and the CIA does not want to do. The Tom Locke series was actually going to be an autobiography.  I was told not to do it or I would be sued so I fictionalized it.” 

He is not alone with his suspicions about those accountable.  An FBI Agent, Jennifer Lin, believes that it is not Jihadists, but is certain that Russia is behind the strike. Her off the book investigation leads her to Locke and his former teammates who are also trying to find out the murderers. They join forces to find the traitors and ruthless mercenaries. 

“I wrote Tom Locke as part of a military force that is not glued to a nation.  He makes decisions of what battles he chooses to fight and does not fight.  For him, it is not about money, but the cause is everything. He is based on me, but more badass.  In the beginning of the series he is a professional warrior. The last two books he is trying to find his soul.  He is neither a superhero or a boy scout. While Jennifer Lin disarms him.  She is cunning and a thinker who is in her twenties. She is talented and does not have a lot of patience for the chain of command.  I wanted to write a female warrior because I ran into a lot of women warriors in my line of work.  Just like Jennifer they were able to be warriors but also feminine. At first, this book was mostly about her.  But I was told by my editor it should be a Tom Locke book so I changed it. I might have her come back in a Tom Locke book and work with him, or there could be a spin-off into her own series.  In future books she can be a main figure as a co-lead or possibly come in and out of the Locke books.”

Tom Locke is a hero people can get behind.  Unlike some other political thriller characters, he does not have the attitude of feeling sorry for himself.  He and Lin make a good team and will remind readers of Brad Taylor’s Pike Logan and Jennifer Cahill. 

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About the Author

Elise Cooper

Elise writes book reviews that always include a short author interview.