Silent Sister by Andrew Allen Smith

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Readers crave tactile stories that we can dive into, trusting that we'll be well-rewarded for our efforts.  This is why we all return to familiar authors time and again.  Everyone has their favorites, and I'm no different.  I have a shortlist of both Indie and Trad authors I can count on to offer stories that transport me out of reality for a time.  They simply don't disappoint.  Such is the case with Andrew Allen Smith.

I'm drawn to these writers because I'm intrigued by how their minds create multi-dimensional successes, failures, consequences, and a diversity of payoffs.  I don't read a series simply to allow myself the complacency of a story I know I'll like, one after the other.  In fact, because of the nature of series work, I tend to shy away from them.  I dislike the wait between release dates.  It's like slogging through the summer hiatus just to get to the next episode of a television program.  That extended delay can make me nuts.  Anyone who has read George R.R. Martin or waited for the next episode of Wednesday or Sandman can sympathize. 

So, I tend to seek out series books that can be read equally well as stand-alone novels.  Sure, it's easier to connect all the dots between characters and timelines when you read them in order... but there is far less pressure should I become sidetracked along the way.  Which, with so many amazing authors in the world, is an easy thing to do.

This is exactly what happened to me with Andrew Allen Smith's The Masterson Files series.  I thought I'd read them all.  After all, the entire set of signed editions lived well on my shelf.  However, I discovered that somewhere between reading this series and a few of Andrew's other books, I somehow skipped this title.  In a way, I'm kind of glad I did.  Without the tug of rushing to get to the next book, I was able to really enjoy this one all by itself. This story is worthy of that kind of attention.

This series is a high-octane action-adventure, page after page.  The craftsmanship of characters with depth, unique abilities, and relatable nuances, mitered with plots that feature specific, well-researched details, is tremendous.  Equitable doses of snark, plus a gentleness you wouldn't expect to find in a series about an assassin trying to retire, and the team he works with, make each one of these stories thoroughly enjoyable.

Silent Sister shows a depth of loyalty among several characters that I haven't seen in many action-adventure novels.  Usually, stories in this genre focus on threat levels and body counts, hopping from one to the other, forgetting these are thinking, feeling, humans, devoted to each other just as much as accomplishing the mission.  This particular story presents a unique partnership between a K-9 handler and his dogs on a level I've never read in any other book.  The dogs are not just tools, a means to an end; they are partners and family.  This, too, is unusual for the genre.  Andrew usurped the established expectations, and for that, the story is spectacular. 

The mission the team embarks on is a worthy one, the protagonist characters are strong, likable, and deeply relatable, and the villains are just as evil as they should be.  Even if you know little to nothing about covert operations, there is no need to be concerned.  The team will bring you along, give you all the intel you need, and make you feel like family.  The challenges are real, the action is appropriate, the violence is proportional, and their code of ethics... a standard by which the team will always operate... is never sold out.  This is a story that keeps you flipping to the next page and encourages a healthy disrespect for the sleep you won't get until you finish the book.

All that, and I'm really okay with the number of dead snakes that littered the path through the jungle... so much better than the alternative!

If you are interested in interacting with an atypical action-adventure series, I highly recommend The Masterson Files by Andrew Allen Smith.  And, you might want to start your reading adventure with Silent Sister.  It'll hook you and draw you in so tight, you'll want to go on every mission with this team, regardless of the order in which you read them!