Jack Trench is a retired CIA operative. He spent decades hunting down the world's most dangerous terrorists around the world. He and his team "The Watchers," were highly effective back in the day. Trench is now retired and living a quiet life when a phone call suddenly propels him back into the spy game. One of his former team members has been shot and another attacked on US soil. Someone is coming after his team. A foe they thought no longer existed. Now Jack is out for revenge. And as the clues start emerging as to who might be behind these attacks, Jack and his team must reunite one more time to take on a lethal enemy. Once again, it is time to kill or be killed. Jack Trench is about to find out that life indeed can go full circle.
Jack Trench is a retired CIA operative. He spent decades hunting down the world's most dangerous terrorists around the world. He and his team "The Watchers," were highly effective back in the day. Trench is now retired and living a quiet life when a phone call suddenly propels him back into the spy game. One of his former team members has been shot and another attacked on US soil. Someone is coming after his team. A foe they thought no longer existed. Now Jack is out for revenge. And as the clues start emerging as to who might be behind these attacks, Jack and his team must reunite one more time to take on a lethal enemy. Once again, it is time to kill or be killed. Jack Trench is about to find out that life indeed can go full circle.
It’s the spy game and one had to be thinking ahead all the time.
Manila 1990 | 100 HOURS The evening was working out quite well for Jack Trench, all American boy, or as well as could be expected when he was in a vehicle, in an alleyway, in one of the worst slums in Manila, Philippines, with a terrorist holding a .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol to his head.
The area was called Tondo. It was Manila’s largest slum and home to 700,000 people densely packed together. It was one of the most poverty and crime ridden areas in the Philippines. The area was so poor that scavenging was the number one way to earn income.
You might ask, what was a good-looking dude like Jack doing in a place like that?
Jack was a Case Officer with the CIA. CIA clandestine personnel are known as Case Officers or COs, not agents. Trench and his fellow CIA officers hated when in the movies and in books, folks like him were called “CIA agents.” Agents were the folks that officers like Jack recruited to spy for them and obtain intelligence that might be of use to the US government.
The man holding the gun to Trench’s head was Jejomar Garcia. The name Jejomar was a mix of Jesus, Joseph, and Mary, though Jejomar was anything but godlike or saintly.
Jejomar was one of Jack’s agents. He was a shooter and a hitman with the Communist New People’s Army or NPA. The NPA was the armed wing of the CPP—Communist Party of the Philippines. Started by activist Jose Maria Sison in 1968, the CPP created the NPA’s Alex Boncayao Brigade as an urban assassination unit to conduct assassinations and attacks on Philippine government officials. These included politicians, law enforcement and intelligence personnel. Also known as Sparrow Units, the goal was to wage a war of insurrection against the Philippine government.
The CPP hated that the Philippine government was allied to the US and allowed two major military installations there—Clark Air Force Base and Subic Bay Naval Base. Believing it was an encroachment on the country’s sovereignty, they were determined to get the US bases and its personnel out of the Philippines no matter what the cost. The “Sparrow Units” were notorious for their meticulously planned and executed missions.
The Sparrow Units were known for a quick draw technique where they would hide a Colt .45 semi-automatic pistol in the waistband of their pants. When they were ready to hit their target, they would use their non-gun hand to push the Colt .45 pistol up by its barrel right into their gun hand, shoot their targets accurately and then flee from the scene of the crime as if they were never there … as quick as sparrows.
Jejomar was a hero within the NPA, spearheading one of the most effective Sparrow Units in Manila. His six-man team had been responsible for killing eight Philippine officials. They were so good at it that Jejomar’s bosses decided that their talents could also be used in other areas.
They sent the team to the cities near where the US bases were located to start targeting and killing US military personnel. Jejomar’s team killed at least ten Americans who frequented the many bars and restaurants located outside both bases.
That’s when the CIA got involved. Enter Jack Trench ... and Cobra One.
Move over, Jason Bourne. There’s a new guy in town. Name’s Jack. Jack Trench. He's the main character in the high-octane action/adventure thriller Full Circle. He also prefers his martinis “shaken, not stirred.”
Recently retired after thirty years of “government service,” Jack Trench is done with his old life as a clandestine CIA operative. He’s done with the lies. The deceit and betrayal. The killing. Approaching sixty years old, Jack has retired to California’s breathtakingly beautiful Monterey Peninsula. All Jack wants now is a quiet, peaceful life by the sea as he struggles to save his garden from marauding caterpillars. It’s a losing battle.
But then Jack reads about the murder of Filipino General Garcia. Back in the day, the general was a major figure in the fight against the Communist New People’s Army (NPA), the armed and uber violent wing of the Communist Party in the Philippines. When BJ, another member of Jack’s exclusive Cobra One team, is gunned down in his driveway NPA-style, Jack’s sixth sense is on red alert. Because Jack Trench doesn’t believe in coincidences. Someone is after Trench and the rest of his team.
And just like that, Jack’s retirement is over. He’s back in the fight. And this time, it’s personal.
This is a wild ride full of energy and verve. The character of Jack Trench is well-drawn and artfully crafted, with a believable back story and plenty of history. Trench a little Jack Ryan. A little James Bond. A bit Jason Bourne. He’s the epitome of suave and debonair but he’s also a consummate professional. As a CIA operative, he’s very good at his job: Killing enemies. This most recent turn of events makes Jack a man on a mission. And whatever else Trench may be, he is definitely not someone you want to mess with.
Seeing older characters kicking butt and taking names instead of the usual young whipper-snappers is a welcome change. Think Bruce Willis and Company in the movie RED.
The manner in which the backstory regarding Jack and his team unfolds in the early chapters is masterfully done. It’s smooth and even, gliding seamlessly into the action of present day. Before you know it, you’re up to our eyebrows in intrigue, suspense, and danger along with Jack. It’s very effective.
There’s also bribes. A safe house. Bamboo ceiling fans. Deja vu all over again. D-E-A-T-H. “Slow is smooth and smooth is fast.” Sun Tzu. Payback time. And lots of cat-and-mouse games.
Tightly written and expertly paced, Full Circle will draw you in from chapter one and not let go until the final page. With a taut, tense plot and plenty of action and intrigue, this is a riveting read. I couldn’t put it down! Indeed, adult readers who enjoy a fast-paced cloak-and-dagger type covert ops thriller spanning multiple years and continents will enjoy Full Circle. It also has a cliffhanger ending. I can’t wait for more!
The only real complaint I have about this book is that it’s listed length is way off. It’s listed at “0-1000 words.” But it weighs in at about 100 pages, so it’s probably more like about 45,000 words.