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Black Falcon: An Interview with Warren Gray
Security Watchtower, December 22, 2005 by C.S. Scott
I was recently presented with the opportunity to preview an advanced copy of ‘Black Falcon’ by writer Warren Gray, several months prior to the scheduled publishing date in early 2006. Mr. Gray is a former U.S. intelligence officer with experience in special operations and counterterrorism, having spent time stationed in Germany, Turkey, Romania, Saudi Arabia, and Italy over a 21-year career. While I don’t generally read a lot of fiction, the plot sounded interesting enough and I took Mr. Gray up on his gracious offer to preview ‘Black Falcon’.
"In July of 1996, the most dangerous terrorist in Europe returned from the dead on a ruthless spree of bloodlust and vengeance, financed by a fortune in looted Nazi gold. Three leading German industrialists were brutally murdered, one with his entire family. The German government sent their best counterterrorist commando to Fort Bragg for our help, but we only gave him one man, one very special Green Beret intelligence officer with a secret past. Together with a German police commando and a beautiful French spy, he launched Operation Black Falcon, searching the rugged Albanian coast for the exiled terrorist and his evil girlfriend, and concluding with a daring and bloody raid. This is a story of triumph, treachery, assassination, and betrayal at the highest levels. It's a grim reminder that the cycle of terror is never-ending, and can only be broken by the bold, by those who know no limits." -- Warren Gray
The book is well-written and captivating, and exceeded my expectations. Mr. Gray’s knowledge of history, terrorism, military operations and special forces comes to the forefront, and creates a world of realism, most impressively through hard-carving details that draw the reader into the world of Dietrich Kessler, Dan Schrader, and Krista von Falkner; a world of terrorism, special forces, untold secrets, and intellectual jousting. The ultimate test comes when the last page is read and the book is closed, and whether or not those characters had enduring qualities that gave the reader a sense of vested interest in them. In the case of ‘Black Falcon’, I would say that "yes" they do.
Mr. Gray also does a quality job balancing the different scenes and tying together various time frames essential for laying the foundation of the plot. Overall I give the book two thumbs up, a smooth read that kept my attention as it unfolded. At my request, he has granted Security Watchtower permission to post a short excerpt from ‘Black Falcon’ to give our readers a sense of his writing style. The following scene occurs early in the book when Sturmbannführer (Major) Franz Kessler, an SS officer and the father of Dietrich Kessler, is stationed in Albania in 1942.
The full text of this article can be viewed at The Security Watchtower.
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