Day of Reckoning (69 page)

Coming Soon
…
A New Novel From Stephen England

He crossed an ocean to avenge the death of the woman he loved,

Only to find a new evil rising…

Now, cut off from his own government and hunted by the Security Services,

Harry Nichols must re-ignite past friendships, call in old debts.

And as the world descends into chaos,

As terrorists take deadly aim at Britain’s royal family,

All that will stand in their way is an alliance forged in the bowels of hell.

Embrace the fire…

Look for
Embrace the Fire
, the third full-length volume of the Shadow Warriors series from bestselling author Stephen England, coming soon.

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As I finish
Day of Reckoning
, I find myself amazed at how far this series has come since the launch of
Pandora’s Grave
in the summer of 2011—and how far it has yet to go.

When I started work on this series years ago, in the wake of 9/11, I wanted to do more than write a fast-paced action thriller. I wanted to tell the story of a man out there in the shadows, fighting for his country. An intensely personal story of heroism and duty, of tragedy and loss. The story of the psychological, emotional, and even spiritual struggles known by those who would take up arms to defend our freedoms—by whatever means necessary.

That’s the story of Harry Nichols, and it is a story that is far from over. If you come away from these “thrillers” with a deeper appreciation of those who have left it all on the field in the service of our country—of those who came home from the wars with scars not easily seen—then I have accomplished my purpose.

To those who have helped make this journey possible, I can only extend my most heartfelt gratitude, and my sincere regret that what follows is only a partial list.

To my parents for their love and support over the years, for encouraging me when there was no one else.

To my cover designer, Louis Vaney—an absolute genius of an artist and the best in the business. As always, you pulled off a masterpiece.

To Janis Zunda Kalnins, the brilliant talent behind the
Day of Reckoning
video trailer. For your perseverance as we pulled everything together on a tight schedule.

To the members of the
Day of Reckoning
beta-reading team: Jan Traeg, Mary Thompson, Tommy Lowther, Barry Taylor, and John Curry. Your diligence in sorting through hundreds of pages looking for typos was much appreciated.

To
NYT
bestselling novelist
Brad Thor
, with thanks for his support and encouragement with the first novel of this series—and a salute for his willingness to stand in the courage of his convictions, even when those stands came with a cost.

To my fellow novelist
Gerard de Marigny
, a denizen of Las Vegas whose input on the city was invaluable in constructing the narrative.

And the small group of top-flight independent thriller writers who have become my friends through this process.
Robert Bidinotto
,
Ian Graham
,
R.E. McDermott
,
Steven Hildreth
, and
Ian Kharitonov
(who provided indispensable advice on the Russian dialogue in
Day of Reckoning
). It’s been a pleasure getting to know all of you and I wish you nothing but the best in your own careers.

To a pair of retired pilots who helped me get the “feel” for flying a Korean War-era helicopter.

And to the countless members of America’s military, law enforcement, and intelligence communities(both active duty and retired), who provided input on the technical aspects of the book. Any mistakes are my responsibility and mine alone—their assistance was invaluable. Space(and their own need for anonymity) will only permit me to thank just a few by name.

To David Sherer for taking of his time to give me a crash course in bomb disposal.

And Shawn Hinck for his help in keeping my snipers on-target.

And to my friend Dr. Shawn Greener, the CEO of Executive Protection Team, LLC(
www.executiveprotectionteam.com
), for his advice on vehicles used in the business.

And perhaps most all, my thanks go out to my readers, for being an endless source of support and inspiration over the last few years. Your enthusiasm for Nichols and the rest of the shadow warriors have kept me moving through the times of writer’s block, and I thank God for you all.

May God bless America, and those who defend her.

Read more from the
Shadow Warriors
series!

Pandora’s Grave

Go back to where it all began, with the thriller
Brad Thor
called a
“terrific read from a great new author”.

With Iran and Israel on the brink of war, one man must make an impossible choice.
To save the world, he must kill his friend
…

NIGHTSHADE

Praised by readers as “hard-hitting” and “poignant”
,
this short story reaches into the past of the shadow warriors for a mission gone wrong.

It
was supposed to be simple. But there’s nothing simple about killing a man.

Also by Stephen England

Sword of Neamha

In a novel heralded by the
Historical Novel Review
as “visceral”, author Stephen England makes his debut with a sweeping saga of ancient Briton, as seen through the eyes of a young Gaelic warrior coming of age in a time of civil war.

What
price will a man pay for honor?