Publication Date: August 1, 2024
FEBRUARY 2022: Intelligence reports prompt a call to Matt Ross, ex-U. S. Army nuclear expert and sniper, to deal with the nuclear threat not only to the Ukrainian military and civilians, but also to the International Atomic Energy team at Chernobyl and his new friends in the Ukrainian drone-flying, tank-busting Aerorozvidka outfit. Along the way Ross picks up Ulf, a brindle Dutch Shepherd bomb detection dog, and finds himself in the middle of the Russian invasion trying to remember how to down an attack helicopter with a Stinger missile, destroy a tank with an Ukrainian Skif anti-tank missile and prevent the spread of radioactive debris across Europe.
Matt Ross wants nothing more than to relax on an isolated Florida beach in an effort to forget his time in the Middle East.
He’s tapped for a special ops assignment that sends him to Chernobyl. Author J. M. Taylor ramps up the action and adventure in Target Kyiv.
While investigating irregularities at the nuclear site, Matt comes under fire from the Russians, who have a plot to spread radioactive material across Europe.
What ensues is a ground assault of epic proportions. Matt, not knowing who to trust, is at the mercy of Ukrainian fighters. Luckily, he’s got the skills they need to operate powerful weaponry against the Russians.
With well-developed action scenes, readers will feel Matt’s exhaustion as he battles the temperature and numerous injuries. The addition of a four-legged friend adds an extra layer to the story, including the rapport Matt develops with Nadiya.
Target Kyiv serves up an intense military thriller that teases a second installment that I will be eager to read.
J. M. Taylor is the author of the award-winning south Florida thrillers, GULF WINDS and LOST KEY, and the international thriller DESERT WINDS. Closer to home, GULF WINDS introduced Homosassa fishing guide and Iraq combat veteran Uly Grant to bribery, terrorism and romance on Florida’s Gulf coast along with Uly’s trusted companion, Flash the retired greyhound.
Taylor’s WWII STICK Trilogy follows the Screaming Eagles of the 101st Airborne Division from D-Day to Holland, on to the Battle of the Bulge, and finally the defense of Bastogne. The three books: MISSING STICKS, ONE STICK AND A WACO and SNOW STICKS, also feature Max, a German Shepherd, as a brave and true friend of the Screaming Eagles, along with an OSS Jedburgh team, Resistance fighters, a Redtail pilot, a medevac nurse and many more, all woven together in the style of W. E. B. Griffin and Tom Clancy.
NEW: TARGET KYIV – a suspense-filled thriller that drags Matt Ross from basking in the Florida sun to deal with the nuclear threat not only to the Ukrainian military and civilians, but also the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) team at Chernobyl. Along the way Ross picks up a new side-kick – Ulf – a brindle Dutch Shepherd bomb detection dog- and, oh, yes, rescues a family from Russian kidnappers.
Combining his experiences as a paratrooper, nuclear weapons specialist and operations research analyst with travels in the Far and Middle East, Europe and the States, Taylor packs a ton of adventure into action-filled page-turners. Taylor originally was published with a small press and was a pioneer in independent publishing.