Review: "Latakia" is superb storytelling of brotherhood tested and forged!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 1, 2012
Honor, courage, brotherhood are not the usual tag lines for fiction but they tip the scale for this story of men who have found their bond in trust is far greater than any differences they possess.  JF Smith has woven an incredible fabric of SEAL Team 8 that includes a Muslim, a Catholic, a gay "rider", a victim of friendly fire and the remaining members who have built a bond that allows each to deal with his own issue to form and function as a single cell, as one mind.  Matt, a rather naive American volunteer for Doctors without Borders, is the rider, the center of the story and, as SEAL Team 8 puts it, the Mission.  When mistakenly captured by terrorists in Syria, he is left without food or water for three days after being beaten.  He is rescued by the SEAL team and asked to help finish their mission.  It is he who comes to understand his own strengths, his character, the brotherhood of courage and honor the team possesses.  It is he who earns himself a place in their hearts.Once I started, I couldn't stop reading.  This is one of the best books I ever read, and I have read a lot.  This book has the action and thrills of a Robert Ludlum, Tom Clancy, or Michael Crichton novel with the suspense, humanity, and tension of Josh Lanyon's work.  It's brilliantly crafted and authentically developed.  I was comfortable with all the relationships and loved the way Matt and Petey became brothers - it was perhaps the sweetest of the relationships despite Petey's overbearing mannerisms and language.  Matt was just the kind of guy we all know and want as our best friend, the guy we all want to find a happy ever after, the one we want to believe in - and do.If I had one criticism of this book it would be the title.  I passed it over several times because of the title and finally stopped because of the five star rating.  I took the time to read the reviews and downloaded a sample.  From the sample, I couldn't wait to download the book.  What an excellent decision!Thank you, JF Smith. I read "Falling Off the Face of the Earth" prior to Latakia and really enjoyed the read. It wasn't too long. Everything about it was perfect, as was this book.  Thank you for becoming a writer and for sharing your stories. I look forward to everything you put forward in the coming years.  THall