I've been looking for a new thriller that would actually thrill me for a while now. I am happy to say that Steel Fear did that for me.

Finn, a Navy SEAL, is being sent back stateside under a cloud of suspicion. His last mission had gone terribly wrong and he is being set up to take to fall for it. He's shipping home aboard the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln, which is suffering from poor leadership, low morale, and now a string of missing and murdered crew...

The authors created a character in Finn that just keeps you interested, and there are depths to him that still have yet to be uncovered. The supporting characters are done just as well, where they are all feel like real people and are interesting in their own right. The way the authors crafted the characters add to the complexity of the story as you can't just dismiss them out of hand. The Naval themes are accurate enough to keep the story feeling like it could really happen, without letting the details get in the way of the storytelling. There are so many layers in the story that are effectively intertwined... I would be quite surprised if you have it figured out by the end.

A big thank-you to Ballantine for allowing me to read and review this book. ( )

From the cover page photo I thought the book would be a typical war story. Instead it is a gripping story about a serial murderer on an aircraft carrier. It is not. It is a well told tale about a serial killer aboard an aircraft carrier in the Pacific. At first the deaths appear to be accidental but is time passes it becomes obvious there is more to it. The main suspect/investigator is a Navy SEAL that just got on this ship named Finn. The ship has over 6,000 suspects. The victims we find are being thrown overboard. There are several people trying to solve the murders. Fast paced and i Really liked it. ( )

“Steel Fear” has nary a car chase, but is a nail-biting thriller none the less; there is increasing tension and mystery on every page. There are three distinct and compelling characters, Monica Halsey helicopter pilot, Chief Finn, a SEAL on special assignment, and aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln with its 6000 souls. The atmosphere of the USS Abraham Lincoln permeates the narrative. It is an entity like no other, everything sharp and modern, and it never sleeps as it travels the world. Life on the carrier is impossibly busy, a blur of action and hustle. Jet pilots are strapped into their multimillion-dollar machines, and then shot off the deck like bullets. It can also be the loneliest place on earth. The USS Abraham Lincoln offers protection from foreign enemies, but now its greatest threat comes from inside.
Monica Halsey has her eye on qualifying as a helicopter aircraft commander working her way up the career ladder. She is a brooder and an introspective anticipator of trouble; she knows that if something bad has not happened, it is about to. She is also a maintenance officer, responsible for all their shop’s work. Chief Finn is a SEAL on special assignment, picked up by USS Abraham Lincoln. Finn is a deeply troubled soul with his own secrets, hidden demons that even he cannot clarify or identify. He is a sniper; he stalks the ship silently, discretely, like a patch of mist. He constantly watches, observes, memorizes everything around him. He does not know precisely what he is looking for, a behavior out of place, a contradiction, but he will recognize it when he finds it.
Everything aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln changes with two words “man overboard.” Did he fall, did he jump, or was he pushed? Death has come, and is not leaving; it is stalking the ship. Is there a serial killer? There are no crime scenes, no weapons, or hard evidence for deaths that may or may not be homicides. If this were a city murder, if would be easy, but this is the USS Abraham Lincoln. The plot unfolds in a calculated, well planned manner, slowly at first, then picking up speed, like a poisonous wind. The unknown hangs over everyone, and it is a race against time to uncover secrets and a killer.
I received a review copy of “Steel Fear” from Brandon Webb, John David Mann, Bantam Books, and Random House Publishing. It is expertly written with a deliberate and calculated timeline that enhances the tension. Once you start reading, it is impossible to put down. ( )

Steel Fear by Brandon Webb and John David Mann is a highly recommended military thriller set on an aircraft carrier.

With six thousand people onboard, the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln is like a small town. When Navy SEAL sniper Chief Finn hitches a ride home from the Persian Gulf, he immediately notes that there are problems in the leadership and the morale is low on the carrier. And this is before shipmates start dying. It soon becomes clear that a serial killer is onboard. Suspicion naturally falls on Finn as he arrived just before the first death and is being sent home in disgrace. Finn, a strange, self contained man, knows that he needs to find the guilty party to redeem himself and perhaps save himself.

The descriptions are amazing in the narrative, probably because Webb is a former Navy SEAL and able to add realistic details into the plot, making everything ring true. Adding to the accurate descriptions is a complex murder mystery involving a serial killer. The combination of a military thriller with a search for a killer in the narrative all works extremely well and Finn's investigation is compelling.

The description of Finn at the beginning is not that of a typical protagonist (he is described as like a marsupial) but it becomes clear that he is a man you do not want to underestimate. He may seem odd, but he is driven, determined and very intelligent. Adding to the novel are several other interesting characters. The narrative is told through the point-of-view of multiple characters. The quick, short chapters keep the pace quick and your interest high as you find yourself reading "just one more chapter" to see what happens next. The whole novel is well-written, the plot is intelligent, and it feels ripe for a sequel.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Random House.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2021/07/steel-fear.html
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4116769832 ( )

It’s hard to imagine an aircraft carrier in the middle of the ocean feeling claustrophobic, but that’s exactly what it becomes when there’s a serial killer on board in Steel Fear by Brandon Webb and John David Mann.

Navy SEAL Finn is hitching a ride home on the USS Abraham Lincoln. His observation skills, honed by years as a sniper, alert him to the poor morale and weak leadership aboard ship. When crew members start to go missing in apparent suicides, it slowly becomes clear that there is a killer on board. Finn is the obvious suspect and maybe the best hope for unmasking the killer. He is still haunted by a mission gone wrong as well as some gaps in his memory that he can’t account for. Staying alive just got a lot more difficult, especially with a crew edging into terror.

Webb and Mann do an excellent job creating an atmosphere of unease. While Finn restlessly prowls the length and breadth of this floating ship the size of a small city, we familiarize ourselves with the ship along with him. Webb and Mann’s ability to vividly describe the scene lends suspense as you picture both the cramped spaces and the vast ocean around and beneath them.

The characters come to life, conveying the stress of their long deployment, their individual obstacles, the effect of lingering poor morale, and the fear that breeds from being trapped on board with a killer. Finn’s uncanny observations give him unique insight while his memory gaps cast doubt in both himself and the reader. The scenes involving young helicopter pilot Monica Halsey and Command Master Chief Jackson are excellent. Jackson in particular is a standout. As both the ship’s morale officer and the one in charge of the investigation into the deaths his instincts and upbringing add dimension and flavor to a tense story. Plenty of characters you love to hate round out the excellent cast.

Steel Fear builds to a suspenseful and thrilling climax that will have you flipping the pages as the story rushes to its end. This is an exciting fiction debut and I’m very much looking forward to more from Webb and Mann.

I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher. ( )