James Patterson publishes books at a pace most other authors would find dizzying. He’s had 10 titles released so far this year, 22 last year (if counting his children’s books), and the overwhelming majority are co-authored.
His name on the cover remains one of publishing’s most reliable commercial guarantees, and his creative partners tend to bring the domain expertise that grounds his plots in real-world details.
For “Rocket’s Red Glare,” that partner is Matt Eversmann, a retired Army Ranger sergeant major. Eversmann is best known for his role in the Battle of Mogadishu, the firefight depicted in Mark Bowden’s “Black Hawk Down” and Ridley Scott’s 2001 film adaptation, where Eversmann was portrayed by Josh Hartnett.
It’s not their first collaboration. The pair previously worked together on several non-fiction books, including “Walk in My Combat Boots,” a collection of first-person accounts from American service members. The military authenticity Eversmann brought to that project carries directly into this latest effort.
“Rocket’s Red Glare” opens with a teaser firefight. It ends with a smoldering Humvee outside Baghdad. An American sergeant is barely conscious after an rocket-propelled grenade strike and has no way to stop the next one, which is about to eliminate him. Luckily, a group of highly skilled operatives, who were part of the convoy, close in to pull his can out of the fire. The group is headed by Nathaniel “Nat” Phillips.
Ranger Nat
Phillips is a former Army Ranger turned private contractor. He leads Team Rhino for Chesapeake Security and Training Company (CSTC); he founded the firm with his billionaire partner Tristan Dent on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Phillips is direct, competent, and self-aware, a man whose social life is perpetually disrupted by the operational demands that define his professional one.
From a shoot-out on the outskirts of Baghdad, the story skips forward to the narrow cobblestone streets of Nantucket, Massachusetts, where a vastly different but no less lethal conflict is waiting for him. No sooner has Phillips returned home than he finds himself locked up in a local jail. He’s taken in for being a possible threat to his famous neighbor: presidential candidate Senator Coleman Harrison.
Rocky Campaigns
Harrison is ahead in the polls, but he’s a mess behind the scenes. His wife, Elise Courville, who’s the daughter of a U.S. ambassador, is barely speaking to him. His mistress wants a seat on the National Security Council, or she’s going to the press. Harrison’s campaign director, Walter Fitzgerald, has a solution, but it’s rather ugly.The other ticket isn’t doing much better. Colorado Gov. Theresa Larson’s husband, Mark, is threatening to divorce her if she messes up her presidential run. Meanwhile, she silently fantasizes about shooting her husband between the eyes.
Soon after Phillips is released from police custody, he agrees to a plan by his buddy Dent to establish Rocket’s Red Glare. This classified domestic strike force operates under the cover name Office of Domestic Strategy, authorized by the president and overseen by a small congressional committee.
The program tasks Team Rhino with augmenting law enforcement and paramilitary capabilities inside the United States during national crises, a mandate that almost immediately proves necessary.
Pacing Isn’t the Problem
The book isn’t without its rough edges, including a lot of coarse language. Some of the expository choreography is awkward. There are early scenes in which Phillips briefs a stranger he just met in the Nantucket jail on the precise organizational structure of CSTC. This feels more like an orientation packet than natural conversation. This is a recurring trend for much of the first few chapters.Pacing is clearly the higher priority. While the authors are willing to sacrifice a degree of realism to keep things moving, that tradeoff is defensible. A slow thriller is far worse than an improbable one.
There are a lot of characters in this book, far more than most readers will track with confidence. Each arrives with credentials, acronyms, and institutional affiliations that signal authenticity. This is part of the appeal, but the sheer volume of political actors, betrayals, and competing agendas can blur quickly. Readers who like to keep score may want a notepad nearby.
One more caveat: The novel ends with a deliberate cliffhanger, setting up the sequel rather than delivering a fully encapsulated conclusion. If that kind of structural open-endedness bothers you, consider yourself warned.
None of this is surprising for a Patterson production. There’s a reason he’s one of the biggest-selling authors in the world. He delivers tight, punchy chapters with relentless momentum, and his characters are more fun than they are deep.
“Rocket’s Red Glare” fits the template. Just enjoy the ride.
