Rose Island

Midwest Book Review

Readers' Favorite Review

In Rose Island, a spy thriller by Zander Hatch, the president was the only government official who was aware of The Team's existence, a group committed to improving the world, and they reported directly to him. Madison Oakley was informed that encrypted military-grade radio communication was intercepted from an island in the Atlantic that was not included in any database or on any map. Madison and a group of Marines were hit by gunfire while flying over the island on their way to investigate; they were never heard from again. It was Jack Harper and his special operations team's task to locate Madison and the Marines on the secret island under attack by an unidentified enemy. Hurricane Taylor and an enemy determined to keep the island's mysteries a secret presented a challenge for Jake and his team.

Rose Island: A Team Novel by Zander Hatch is filled with espionage, danger, mystery, and survival. This thrilling, fast-paced story gripped me from start to finish, and the turns and twists guaranteed action and tension. I found it difficult to put the book down since there was so much going on, and I was concerned I might miss something. The characters had strength throughout and were real and likable. A particularly enjoyable diversion from this gripping plot was the back-and-forth banter between Jake and a team member. The writing style made sure that the story stayed engaging despite everything that had happened and the knowledge that emerged about the island. The story was most enjoyable and a sequel would be great!

Booklife Review

Shootouts, conspiracy, and wisecracking camaraderie abound in Hatch’s audacious military thriller. When recon over an island off the coast of Virginia is shot down, no-longer-active-duty US Marine operative Jake Harper is tasked with leading the rescue operation with the TEAM, a secretive government squad that, reporting only to the president, fights “the unseen battles to ensure life as we know it goes on.” With a hurricane blowing that direction and dangerous mercenaries at their heels, the Team uncovers secrets on Rose Island from the nation’s past that could disastrously alter its future. In this series kickoff, a simple rescue mission becomes a fight for survival against traitorous legions looking to change the face of the U.S. forever.

Rose Island has been tailored for fans of explosive cover-ops action thrillers, fusing Tom Clancy and the Call of Duty franchise. The TEAM faces firefights, car chases, ticking clock scenarios, and shadowy schemes, all backdropped against an isolated island battered by “the strongest hurricane in the last thirty years.” It’s an exciting setup that fans of the genre will find winning, though the plotting is overstuffed, with subplots not fully paying off and a landslide of twists. The action, while inventive, is not always matched by prose of clarity and impact, though the best moments resonate, like a submarine shootout sequence and a tense setpiece amid office cubicles.

Where Hatch excels is in drawing on his experience as a Marine to bring a sense of authenticity to the military and personnel elements, especially in the relationships among his cast, characters who are sketched through action, especially their trust, focus, and sharp-elbowed wit in the face of a host of dangers, from politicians to crocodiles. Hatch also stirs real feeling, when things slow down, as when the TEAM encounters a woman who has missed decades of American life. The TEAM is aptly named, and future volumes may flesh out the strengths that could set the series apart.