Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a former journalist and intelligence officer turned writer, so I seek out authenticity in my reading, especially when it comes to war stories. I look for fiction from people who have been there or know how to listen to those who have, and be their voice. When I write, I always put together a team of veterans and specialists in their fields to challenge my work and make sure I get it right, too!


I wrote

Book cover of Aggressor

What is my book about?

It is April 1, 2038, day 60 of China's blockade of the rebel island of Taiwan. The US government has…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of The Dawn Attack

FX Holden Why did I love this book?

This is a book I read as a teen that inspired me to write war stories. I loved it because it doesn’t glorify war; Brian Callison is a master of writing about war as it is, from multiple perspectives, in all its bloody, brutal horror.

The action is great but almost secondary to the memorable characters he creates, and Brian Callison writes dialogue the way soldiers really talk. If you like this one, he's written a dozen more like it, and they haven't aged.

By Brian Callison,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Dawn Attack as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

His third novel about an amphibious assault on a Norwegian coast town during World War II.


Book cover of Monroe Doctrine: Volume I

FX Holden Why did I love this book?

I needed a gripping story for a drive across Australia, 800 miles from Sydney to Adelaide. I wanted one that would grab me and keep me awake and alert. This one really got my brain fizzing because it lifts you out of today and transports you into a future that could easily come true (let's hope it doesn't!).

It's the sort of audiobook that has you still sitting in your car, listening to the end of the chapter in your driveway because you can't turn it off!

By James Rosone, Miranda Watson,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Monroe Doctrine as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

It was called Jade Dragon…and it threatened to destroy the West.

Was an attack on the US imminent? 

In a lab deep in the heart of China, a brilliant engineer had a breakthrough. It was the most powerful AI ever created. Ma Young believed the Jade Dragon could combat the world’s most dire challenges. There was just one problem...the president of China had other ideas. Was this their chance to conquer? 

The war began at the speed of light. The entire NATO alliance stood on the brink of destruction. Cyber attacks, deepfakes, and a wave of social media disinformation wrought…


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Book cover of Third Wheel

Third Wheel by Richard R. Becker,

Third Wheel is a coming-of-age thriller about a misguided teen who struggles to fit in with a pack of older troublemakers. In this fast-paced page-turner, Brady Wilks is a root-worthy underdog who explores the complexities of identity, belonging, and betrayal.

Third Wheel won seven literary awards, including Literary Thriller of…

Book cover of One Minute to Midnight: Kennedy, Khrushchev, and Castro on the Brink of Nuclear War

FX Holden Why did I love this book?

I was researching a novel and wanted to know more about the Cuban Missile Crisis. This non-fiction book reads like an action thriller, going hour by hour, sometimes minute by minute.

I finished this one in a single weekend and felt almost physically sick at the thought of how close the world had come to Armageddon in those few tense days and how lucky we were the leaders of the time were so determined to avoid it.

Would our leaders today be as level-headed? You judge!

By Michael Dobbs,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked One Minute to Midnight as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

October 27, 1962, a day dubbed Black Saturday in the Kennedy White House. The Cuban missile crisis is at its height, and the world is drawing ever closer to nuclear apocalypse.

As the opposing Cold War leaders, John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev, mobilize their forces to fight a nuclear war on land, sea and air, the world watches in terror. In Bobby Kennedy's words, 'There was a feeling that the noose was tightening on all of us, on Americans, on mankind, and that the bridges to escape were crumbling.'

In One Minute to Midnight Michael Dobbs brings a fresh…


Book cover of Weapons of Choice

FX Holden Why did I love this book?

I love a good "what if" plot, and they don’t get much more "what if" than this one, which kicks off a great series.

The plot is mind-blowing, but it’s the gritty characters I love. I also loved the fact they don’t all make it through. There is no "plot armor" for the heroes in this one.

By John Birmingham,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Weapons of Choice as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

On the eve of America’s greatest victory in the Pacific, a catastrophic event disrupts the course of World War II, forever changing the rules of combat. . . .

The impossible has spawned the unthinkable. A military experiment in the year 2021has thrust an American-led multinational armada back to 1942, right into the middle of the U.S. naval task force speeding toward Midway Atoll—and what was to be the most spectacular U.S. triumph of the entire war.

Thousands died in the chaos, but the ripples had only begun. For these veterans of Pearl Harbor—led by Admirals Nimitz, Halsey, and Spruance—have…


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Book cover of Aftermath: Into the Unknown

Aftermath by Lena Gibson,

Robin dreamed of attending Yale and using her brain. Kory lived on the streets of Seattle and relied on his brawn. Without the asteroid, they never would have met.

For three years, Robin and her grandfather have been hiding, trusting no one. When a biker gang moves into town, Robin…

Book cover of White Sun War: The Campaign for Taiwan

FX Holden Why did I love this book?

Great narration is essential to any audiobook, and Joshua Saxon, who reads this over-the-top techno-thriller, nails it!

I don’t like waiting for the future to arrive; I want to read about it now, and this story from the pen of a real-life warrior put me right there, just five years into the future.

By Mick Ryan,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked White Sun War as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

After decades of poising on the brink, the United States and China finally go to war when China invades the island of Taiwan. Deploying their most futuristic technologies in this grand strategic competition of the 21st century, the stakes could not be higher. Not only the future of the Taiwanese people but the fate of the world lies in the balance. In an era when humans no longer just use machines, but partner with them in all aspects of military operations, this fictional account views this future war through the eyes of the American, Chinese, and Taiwanese caught up in…


Explore my book 😀

Book cover of Aggressor

What is my book about?

It is April 1, 2038, day 60 of China's blockade of the rebel island of Taiwan. The US government has agreed to provide Taiwan with a weapons system so advanced it can disrupt the balance of power in the region. But what pilot would be crazy enough to run the Chinese blockade to deliver it?

This book is the first novel in a new series that looks at the conflict that could spark the next World War through the eyes of soldiers, sailors, civilians, and aviators on all sides. Featuring technologies that are on the drawing board today and could be fielded in the near future, it is the page-turning military technothriller you have been waiting for!

Book cover of The Dawn Attack
Book cover of Monroe Doctrine: Volume I
Book cover of One Minute to Midnight: Kennedy, Khrushchev, and Castro on the Brink of Nuclear War

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