Tag: #johngilstrap

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Harm’s Way by John Gilstrap

Book Description

Unstoppable Jonathan Grave uncovers a major threat to American security in the latest action-packed adventure in the long-running, bestselling black-ops series.

Twelve missionaries have been snatched in a remote area of Venezuela and are being held for ransom. The high-priority rescue mission comes as a personal plea from FBI director Irene Rivers. It also carries a Presidential demand: no international incident. Just get in and get out—with hostages who are far from cooperative, but nonetheless precious cargo.

America’s enemies hope to leverage the kidnapping into a major crisis. Fighting his way to the hostages is Jonathan’s first battle. The second is to deliver them, alive and well, to the extraction site – and let no one stand in his way.

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Elise’s Thoughts

One of the best qualities of a John Gilstrap book is his ability to draw readers into the plot and characters.  Just like the early Vince Flynn books his plots are intense, his bad guys horrifically violent, and his team heroes hardly politically correct with a determination for justice to be served.

Harm’s Way by John Gilstrap takes place in Venezuela where a vicious drug cartel has kidnapped ten missionaries and are holding them for ransom.  FBI Director Irene Rivers has asked the independent contractor, Jonathan Grave, and his team to rescue one hostage.  But Jonathan being Jonathan, tells her he will rescue all or none. He plans on doing what he and his team always do, save hostages. The rest of the gang are back that includes Jonathan Grave (Digger), Brian Vande Boxers (Big Guy), Venice Alexander (Mother Hen) and Gail Bonneville (Gunslinger) as well as Jesse Montgomery (Torpedo), a thief and boat driver, and Davey Montgomery (Chief), a former Navy SEAL.

As with most of his books the theme always questions the commitment of Washington, especially the bureaucrats, to put the welfare of the country ahead of personal gain.

Word of warning to readers, the rescue mission is not the only plotline and this book ends with a slight cliffhanger. Anyone who has not read the Grave books should because they have drama, intrigue, and great characters.

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Author Interview

Elise Cooper: How did you get the idea for Harm’s Way?

John Gilstrap:  It came from a real news story. There was a news item where twelve missionaries were kidnapped in South America. Each were held for different levels of ransom by the bad guys. I thought it was an interesting premise.

EC: Throughout the books, one of the team members, Gail Bonnerville aka Gunslinger has come to grips with her role?

JG: Gail can be passive-aggressive, logical, thoughtful, sarcastic, and very analytical.  She is often the only adult in the room when the men team members start to act as boys.  She as well as everyone has a strong moral compass.  She sometimes has trouble drawing the lines that Jonathan has no trouble drawing since she was a Sherriff and is a lawyer. In Scorpion Strike she realized there was nuisance and balance versus violence and fortitude. She started accepting her role and in the current book Harm’s Way she has reached that threshold. Jonathan is very mission oriented where he wants to have the hostages returned to their family. Gail cannot close down after a mission like Jonathan does. It angers her that she cannot and also angers her that Jonathan can. She will do what she must do but afterwards might not like it, while Jonathan will do what he must do and move on.

EC:  You like to have Gail get injured a lot?

JG:  In Damage Control she was injured very seriously and two books after that she was gone for a while as she recovered.  I almost killed her off, but when I brought her back, I found the handle for her character. Then in Lethal Game, the book before Harm’s Way she had to be rescued after her house was set on fire and she was injured.

EC: The relationship between Gail and Jonathan?

JG:  She considers him a crusader and is accepting of him. Just as with Jonathan she now realizes that by fighting, she can have a say in her future, going home alive. Gail realizes that Jonathan’s way of thinking is not as outlandish as she originally thought. She has come to see that the rule of law sometimes comes to slowly for true justice to happen. Because they accept each other they can now have an intimate relationship.

EC:  Was President Tony Darmond based on anyone in any political party or is he an equal opportunity politician?

JG: The plot line of this book involving the President’s stepson selling access started in 2014 with the book High Treason. It is pure coincidence that the plot line is still alive. The Darmond administration has been corrupt since 2009. In the Grave books time pretty much stands still and travels very slowly.  I do not write politics I write fiction.  President Darmond does not have a party affiliation. People read the books and I have received angry letters about Darmond’s corruption from supporters of President Bush 43, President Obama, President Trump, and now President Biden.  I get equal levels of hate mail. The Grave books do not work unless Washington is horribly corrupt.

EC:  There is a quote that is anti-Washington in Harm’s Way. Please explain.

JG:  You are referring to this quote, “In light of recent weaknesses and stumbles from the government of the United States, it was often too easy to lose respect in the effectiveness of American operators. The Border Patrol and the Drug Enforcement Administration had both been thoroughly neutered by President Darmond’s political henchmen, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation has neutered itself with political infighting.” This is from a Russian who perceives the weakness of power. The Darmond administration is owned by the Cartels who can do whatever they want on the Southern Border. I believe in the fictional world, Washington’s senior elected leadership can search for Directors to do their will.

EC:  Are the Russians really behind bringing drugs into this country?

JG:  I do not have a firsthand knowledge but people who do, this is what they tell me. From what I heard the Russians have tried to gain a foothold in Venezuela and pre-Ukraine have provided a lot of aid. In my fiction world it just makes sense the Russians are doing it.

EC: Why Venezuela?

JG:  Venezuela is in this hemisphere.  Because I must get Jonathan and the gang in and out there is only so much of the world where I can do it. In my various previous books, I have used Mexico and wanted a change.  Part of the reason for Venezuela, I wanted to criticize socialism, and it is the poster child for where socialism never worked in the practical world.  The economic system here has collapsed so it has become a playground for bad guys.

EC:  Next book-did you leave this one with a cliffhanger?

JG:  Yes, although each book can survive as a stand-alone.  In the next book, the Darmond Administration will have a very bad time. It will be titled Heat Seeker, a Jonathan Grave book.

THANK YOU!!

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BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Lethal Game by John Gilstrap

Book Description

Hostage rescue expert Jonathan Grave and his fellow special-ops veteran, Boxers, are hunting in Montana when shots ring out, and they realize they’ve become the prey for assassins. In the crosshairs of unseen shooters, cut off from all communication, with the wind at a blood-freezing chill, the nightmare is just beginning. Because Jonathan and Boxers aren’t the only ones under fire.

Back in Fisherman’s Cove, Virginia, Jonathan’s Security Solutions team is fighting for their lives too. A vicious onslaught is clearing the way for a much bigger game by eliminating anyone in the way. If Jonathan and Boxers can make it out of the wilderness alive, the real war will begin.

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Elise’s Thoughts

Lethal Game by John Gilstrap will remind readers of another thriller writer.  Gilstrap has a lot in common with Vince Flynn besides a fantastic, formidable character named Irene.  They both have great suspenseful plots with plenty of action, emotion, and gun fights, as well as very well-developed characters who make up the team.  This is Part I and Part II will delve into the books that introduced the characters.

This plot turns the usual story on its head with the hunters becoming the hunted and the team needing to rescue themselves. The crew of Gail Bonneville, Venice Alexander, Jonathan Grave, Brian Van Muelebroecke (Boxers), and Irene Rivers, must find out who is sending assassins. Usually, the team of covert hostage rescuers finds the kidnapped victim with the bad guys having their demise. But in this case Jonathan and Boxers, while hunting in Montana, are the targets.  That attack is coordinated with attacks home in Fisherman’s Cove, Virginia where Gail and Venice are also fired upon. The enemy is unknown but it’s clear they want revenge and will go to great lengths to destroy everyone on the team. The four, while investigating, know they must transition from defense to offense and take the fight right to the enemy. Readers are able to get into the minds of the characters, feeling as if they are being spoken to themselves.

In this series, readers should not expect innocents to escape the violence.  Elderly characters and children are put in harm’s way and do not escape with their lives.  The bad guys are cartel members and just as in real life Gilstrap shows the intensity of violence where they have feelings of anger, disgust, and contempt.

This plot is fast-paced, engrossing, and intriguing.  If this book is someone’s first introduction into the series, they will realize what they have been missing and want to read the earlier novels.  It is written as a stand-alone so no one will have any trouble keeping up. 

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Author Interview

Elise Cooper: How did you get the idea for the series?

John Gilstrap:  This is the 14th book in the series with the same characters, and it will not end anytime soon.  The idea for the series came from a non-fiction book I wrote, Six Minutes to Freedom back in 2006.  I had extraordinary access and did a lot of research about the Special Forces Delta Force group. I then decided to write a fictional book with a group that does the hostage rescue domestically. I stay in the Western Hemisphere for the team, with the cartels as the bad guys.

EC:  Can you tell us a little something about the non-fiction book?

JG:  Kurt Muse in the late 1980s did a clandestine radio campaign urging the people of Panama to rise for freedom. He was subsequently arrested, imprisoned, and rescued by the elite Delta Force. After the US invaded Panama, they rescued him from the prison where Manuel Noriega held him as a political prisoner.

EC:  Did your professional experience help you to write the series?

JG:  For fifteen years I was a firefighter and EMT. We had a very good sense of camaraderie and mission.  We wanted to make sure the mission was accomplished quickly, efficiently, safely, with as many lives saved. This focus was built into me, which I gave my characters.  I want to show in the books how violence is real and happens with blistering speed that has devastating consequences, which is why there are civilian collateral damage.

EC:  Are you a hunter considering there are details about hunting?

JG:  I am recently a hunter, having moved to West Virginia. I hunt deers and hogs.  The look and feel for hunting is from personal experience.

EC:  How did you get the idea for this story?

JQ: It occurred to me on a hunting trip. I was in a shed waiting for a hog to come by.  I sat for a long time and just was thinking. I realized how vulnerable I was if someone wanted to hunt me while I was hunting an animal. This was the beginning of the plot where someone was hunting for Jonathan and the team, with the rest of the book solving the question, who and why were they hunting the group? In the previous book, Stealth Attack, I opened the door for why they were being hunted.

EC:  How would you describe the team?

JG:  Gail is the adult in the room. Boxer is the violent one. Jonathan is the thinker. Venice is the computer hacker with many skills.  They share a very strong ethical and moral standard that centers around justice. Good and bad for them is not defined as legal and illegal. They have a passion for the mission. They are all gutsy, loyal, intelligent, feisty, adrenaline junkies, and risk-takers.

EC:  You have a quote in the book which explains their thinking and mission.  Please explain.

JG:  You are referring to this one, “While Feebs and local Swat teams were consumed by cumbersome procedures designed to cover their asses and rights of the bad guys, Jonathan and his team did what had to be done and left with the hostages that they rescued.” I have many good friends that are on hostage rescue teams and Swat teams.  In the US when someone is kidnapped their primary mission is not to rescue the hostage.  Their mission is to make sure the bad guy does not legally get away. But of course, they want the hostages rescued.  The regulations require that warrants are issued before they can crash a door or listen in. If they violate those rights, then the case gets thrown out in court. Jonathan and his team does not have that burden. I also put this quote in the book, which was told to me by a friend, “A hostage situation is a homicide in slow motion.”

EC: How would you describe Irene?

JG:  When the team utilizes FBI Director Irene Rivers it must be off the record. They operate in the place of justice, not in the place of legality. Her name came from my mothers-in-law first name. She was first introduced in 1998 in my second book, At All Costs.  She is a single mom and used to be a badass field agent. In the story, Soft Targets is where Jonathan meets Irene after her children were kidnapped.  She is much more politically aware and savvy than the rest of the team.

EC:  In your book world there are no term limits for the US President?

JG: President Tony Darmond is very corrupt without any moral standing.  He has been President for fifteen years because I do not advance time. Irene must work behind the scenes to make sure nothing goes back to Darmond. Her and Jonathan’s team realize politicians do not want to solve problems. I think these books are very timely because of Fentanyl coming across the border plus how the Cartels are involved with the human trafficking trade.

EC:  Why compare the team to Batman?

JG:  My son who is now 36 has always been fascinated with everything Batman.  I brought Batman in because it is an Easter Egg for me and the family. Every book has a reference to Batman. The team and Batman are similar in that they are the strangers who sets things straight, wants justice, and works outside the lines. 

EC:  Your next books?

JG:  My next book is not a Grave book.  It is titled White Smoke, the third book of a trilogy coming out next March.  It features Victoria Emerson, a former Congresswoman.  She is the leader of a society after a nuclear holocaust that is trying to put the world back together.

The book I am writing now, the next Grave book, will probably take place in Venezuela but will also bring in some Russian activity. It is called Harm’s Way where missionaries are kidnapped. It comes out in June of next year.

THANK YOU!!

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BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.