Book Review: Gabriel's Return by Steve Umstead

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Book 1 in the trilogy of Commander Evan Gabriel was reviewed by me earlier, a link to that review is shown below and in which I commented;

"Gabriel's Redemption tell us the story of Commander Evan GABRIEL from the NAF, North American Federation, which comprises America, Canada, Cuba and Mexico and is head quartered in Toronto after most of the seaboard states have been swept away. The South American Federation largely made up of Brasil and Argentina after that continent is blown apart by nuclear war is a bit player with ambitions. GABRIEL is on the run, just because he doesn't want to be found, and hiding out in flea bit hotel in Jamaica after being dishonourably discharged when an off world mission on 'Eden' goes horribly wrong and he is (believed to be) the only survivor. We don't get to learn to much about this previous mission, which maybe we could have done as it left a big gap in the character of the 'hero' " 

Gabriel's Return,Book 2:  After being reinstated into the NAF in Book 1 and carrying out a successful mission, Gabriel is posted to Mars along with his new team to help and assist the local Mars governments and the Mars Defence Force to clean up the corruption on the planet.  After receiving opposition from the locals he and is team come to be accepted as they clean up the criminality without imposing penalties on the honest traders in the domed cities.

He is summoned to the office of the Governor of the largest city and finds that she wants him to take his team back to Eden where he lost 'all' of his team on his first mission to that planet.  The terrorists are still operating there and the governors son, studying at the university, is taken hostage along with all of the other students in residence. Also received is an apparent call for help from the only other surviving member of Gabriel's first visit to the planet, who was found alive and until the moment the message was received, thought to be dead! If it wasn't for the other surviving member from his first mission there, Gabriel would probably have declined the request to rescue the kidnapped student, as the mission wasn't sanctioned by the NAF!

As they set of on their mission Gabriel has to brief his team and tell them that not only will they have to fight the terrorists but that almost all of the indigenous plant life is as deadly as a terrorists bullet but what they don't know is that the kidnapping is all part of a bigger plot that trebles the chances of this mission being as deadly as the first mission to the planet!

Umstead writes flowingly and the book moves along at a cracking pace keeping you interested and turning pages.  It's not a terribly long book, just over 300 pages and as the narrative keeps you going, it will not take long to finish reading.


You can connect with Mr Umstead via Twitter @SteveUmstead

Related Posts - 
Book Review: Gabriel's Redemption by Steve Umstead

Book Review: Gabriel; Zero Point by Steve Umstead

Editing for Kindle /iPad: 5 out of 5
Reading Enjoyment: 5 out of 5
Page length on kindle /iPad: 321
Plot: 5 out of 5
Overall Rating: 5 out of 5