Rage is Back! In Devil in the Dark by Chris Lindberg!

Read Review  of Chris Lindberg's First Novel!

Check out Code of Darkness

Prologue

He had no recollection of the days anymore. He'd stopped counting them when hunger had taken over his every waking thought. His stomach growled incessantly; his ribs pressed outward against his skin.

In his time here, he'd been reduced to a shell of his former self. A beggar waiting for his next meal.

And there would be no escape, he knew; he woulc die in this God-forsaken place, if not from starvation, then disease, or torture.

The night watchman had begun his rounds of the prison camp. The sound of his footsteps could be heard in the deathly still hallways outside.

He had no idea how many others were here, American or otherwise. The only things he saw were the concrete walls that surrounded him, the dirt floor beneath him, the sliver of light that came through the meager opening that passed for a window, the white bucket in the corner, and the boots of the night watchman who brought him his one meal and jug of water each day. 

Anything else happened only under the black hood.

His stomach rumbled loudly; his mouth began to water. His lone meal of the day was only moments away. Cold beans, one uncooked potato, one dented metal jug of water. Every day the same.

He heard the sound of boots outside his door. Instinctively, he crawled to the tiny opening just in time to see the familiar, dirt-caked brown boots of the night watchman who slid his meal through.

Then he saw a second pair of boots appear. Black. Unfamiliar. SNAP!

Before he could understand what was happening, the night watchman's face appeared in the opening as he crumpled straight to the floor, the man's wide, expressionless eyes staring back into the tiny cell, before being dragged from view. The steel doorknob rattled with another snap, this time the sound of metal, and the knob fell to the floor as he realized it had somehow been broken off from the other side.

As the door swung open, he moved back instinctively, ready to give them a fight as he'd always done before they pulled the black hood over his head.

But as the figure came into view, he realized it was not one of his captors. Rather, a lone man stood before him, almost a foot shorter than he was. The man wore what looked like black fatigues, but ones that bore no markings, military or otherwise. He didn't appear to be carrying a weapon, either. The dim light that crept in from the hallway outside reveaed the blackest eyes he'd ever seen in a man.

"Sergeant First Class Otis Charles Brown, USMC?" the man addressed him in a deep, raspy, almost angry voice.

"Yes sir," he replied, willing himself up to stand at attention.

"Come with me," the man said. "We're getting you out of here."

~~~

Meet Rage

Rage is the main character we met in the first book, Code of Darkness. He is a special forces officer who is kept and used for only the worst types of situations. Because of his basic skills and expertise, I thought of Lee Majors...but the Hulk also came to mind... Fortunately, medical specialists had discovered a medication that, when taken at the right moment, would prevent the potential Hulk persona from going into, well, a rage! This is one...cool...character. And this latest story is one...cool...story! Quite worthy, in my opinion, of being made into an outstanding thriller movie!

Enrique Castillo was moving slowly toward the border checkpoint he went through every day to head for work. But this time was different, his visa to work at the Broadway Chicken Farms processing plant had been stolen and his family was depending upon his income to keep living. He had no choice, he thought, he could not lose his job, so he paid $250 to purchase a replica passport and ID made from an Idaho driver's license. The thought being that nobody would check on an Idaho license... Enrique was not, however, a brave man, especially when his mother had been placed in the hospital and he had a young sister alone at home...

And he had one major point against him. He was related to the head of the largest drug cartel in Mexico... Being stopped with a false license could lead to discovery of his real name, and drug smuggling would undoubtedly be suspected!

Otis Brown was back at his home in Texas, living with the local sheriff, his father, and his mother, until he would be able to be cleared for duty. He had been rescued from a Taliban prison camp... Not able to relax, he had a position as Border guard. 

He was in the midst of checking out Enrique's license, thinking to hold him, when it happened. The entire complex was bombed! Otis' instincts as a Marine had led him to look toward the hill--he had seen men with RPGs! He didn't have time to do anything other to yell "Down!"  He grabbed Enrique and they dove over the concrete barrier next to them. He had saved Enrique, but Otis was knocked out...

And without thinking, Enrique made the worst mistake of his life. He fled the scene...

The bombings, of course, set off a series of events--quite similar to what is already happening in today's world... Can't tell much more, but thought I could give a few bullets to prepare you...

• Enrique is on the run, being accused as part of the bombing activity...
• Otis is talked into joining a citizens vigilante group and winds up in Mexican territory and is captured...
• U.S. Military, having verified that the drug lord did the bombing, and with the approval of the Mexican President, invades Mexico. But government paid informants to the drug lord warn of the upcoming attack. Both helicopters and crew are destroyed, except Rage, who was thrown clear from the wreckage... He has lost his memory, and has no medication...
• RAGE is on the move, alone in Mexico...

Whew! This is the most exciting thriller I've read in awhile. The details of the drug lord's reign over "his" town are graphic and horrific. Everybody who reads the book will want him...taken out!

The plans for military force are realistic, with differences of opinion of what should be done...And especially about the possible loss of one of their greatest asset...

The violence is extremely graphic, the only salvation for me being that the good guys win...

This is exhilarating action. The climatic ending lends even more impact to the story! The timeliness of the novel makes this a must-read for those of you following the "wall" planned...Hopefully, this book will be the only "fictional" stories that occur in the future related to drugs and bombed border crossings into the U.S.


GABixlerReviews

Chris Lindberg lives in the Chicago suburbs with his wife and two children. Besides writing, he enjoys traveling, bicycling, running, grilling, any kind of vintage music, college football, and just about any activity with his kids. Devil in the Dark is the follow-up to his first novel, Code of Darkness.