Meet This Author: Adam Sikes

Landslide

by Adam Sikes

November 14 – December 9, 2022 Virtual Book Tour

Synopsis:

International Arms—Private Military Companies—Corruption at Every Turn

U.S. Marine veteran Mason Hackett moved to London to start his life over, and he’s done his best to convince himself that what happened fifteen years ago doesn’t matter—the people he killed, the men he lost, the lives he ruined. But when Mason sees the face of a dead friend flash on a television screen and then receives a mysterious email referencing a CIA operation gone bad, he can no longer ignore his inner demons.

Driven by loyalty and a need to uncover the truth, Mason launches on a perilous journey from the Czech Republic to Romania toward the war-torn separatist region in eastern Ukraine to honor a fifteen-year-old promise. The answers he seeks—the fate of a friend and his connection to the underworld of international arms dealers and defense corporations—throw Mason into the cauldron of a covert war where no one can be trusted.

Praise for Landslide:

“Sikes imbues the emotionally complex Mason with a palpable sense of grief. Readers will look forward to his further adventures.”

Publishers Weekly

“Landslide is not only a gripping geo-political thriller, but a morally-complex tale. It grapples with fraught questions of both individual and national loyalty as well as killing and the grim realities of war. I read this book over the course of two-white knuckled days that I won’t soon forget. Adam Sikes is a huge talent.”

Elliot Ackerman, New York Times best-selling author

“Adam Sikes is the consummate storyteller. What a fast-moving train Landslide is, a real rollercoaster of a ride, gripping, emotional and thought-provoking. I enjoyed every thrilling second. This is good stuff!”

J. Randy Taraborrelli, New York Times best-selling author

“A gem of a read with mach-speed mayhem, loaded with rich detail from a writer who knows what he’s talking about.”

Steve Berry, New York Times best-selling author

“With an irresistible hook that grabs you from the get-go, Landslide is an action-packed, nonstop espionage thrill ride that will keep you furiously turning the pages. Marine Corps veteran and former intelligence officer Adam Sikes delivers a fast-paced, gritty, supercharged read.”

Andrew Kaplan, New York Times best-selling author

“Landslide is a seismic quake of an international, high-stakes thriller in the grand tradition of Daniel Silva, Brad Thor, and Brad Taylor. Adam Sikes has penned a seminal effort that’s bracingly effective in its portrayal of current geopolitical dynamics through the eyes of former Marine, and current expatriate, Mason Hackett. A terrific tapestry of a tale with the kind of stitching that would make the likes of Alistair MacLean and Frederick Forsyth take notice.”

Jon Land, USA Today best-selling author

Book Details:

Genre: Spy Thriller
Published by: Oceanview Publishing
Publication Date: September 2022
Number of Pages: 368
ISBN: 9781608095049 (ISBN10: 1608095045)
Series: A Mason Hackett Espionage Thriller, #1
Book Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads | Oceanview Publishing

Q&A 

Q: When did you begin writing Landslide?
I started writing Landslide in 2018, a few years after the Russian Federation annexed Crimea but well before the current war. I intentionally chose Ukraine as the setting because I was trying to avoid a situation and setting that was in the headlines. I thought that if I tried to write a novel enmeshed in current events, even if the characters were strong, the plot would be outdated by
the time it was published. Rather, I wanted a setting and plot that would intrigue readers
regardless of how the news cycle shifted …

However, as my manuscript was going to the typesetter in February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine. Fortuitously for the book, the story has tracked closely to the real-world situation and is now considered timely as well as timeless. But unfortunately for the Ukrainian people, the war is all too real, horrific, and tragic. I pray for peace every day. No one wins in war—no one.

Q: What led you to writing thrillers?
Since I was a young child, I have enjoyed reading all fiction genres as well as non-fiction. I enjoy literature, sci-fi, fantasy, historical fiction, romance, and everything in between. If you were to look at my bookshelves at home, you would find everything from Hemingway to Margaret Atwood to Stephen King to Jane Austin, as well as a host of academic history books,
biographies, leadership books, even cookbooks. Reading is a part of my everyday life.

However, thrillers—and international spy thrillers, in particular—are my favorite and what I read the most. Therefore, twelve years ago when I started thinking about writing fiction, thrillers were a natural fit. Plus, with my background as a former US Marine and former intelligence officer with the CIA, I felt I possessed a unique background with some keen insights that would allow
me to write stories that would interest readers.

Q: Who are the main protagonists in Landslide?
The main character is Mason Hackett, an Iraq war veteran turned London banker who is haunted by what happened fifteen years ago—the things he did, the decisions he made, the people he killed, and the Marines he lost. Like many combat veterans, he can’t forgive himself and struggles with life—even if he (and those in real life) hide it. Yet, Mason possesses an unwavering sense of loyalty and duty that propels him to take risks and attempt to honor a promise from long ago. In a way, he’s seeking redemption, but I leave it to the reader to determine if he achieves it.

Another main character is a woman named Alex. She is strong, bold, and provocative, and does well keeping Mason off balance. I can’t say much more otherwise I might risk a spoiler, but most readers have loved Alex.

Q: How would you describe your writing style in three words? Edgy, Intense, and Illustrative

Q: What other projects are you currently working on?
The sequel to Landslide, of course! I also just finished a novel unconnected to Landslide which is an international thriller, which will hopefully go to press in the coming year. Separate from fiction, I am also supporting as a developmental editor two other non-fiction writing projects.

One is about growing up on the home front during the Vietnam War and the experiences and challenges a child experienced while his father was a POW in the Hanoi Hilton, and the other is about a world-renowned architect who worked for the Kennedys in the 1960s and who remained in the Kennedy circle for the subsequent decades.

Q: What themes will readers find in your new release?
In Landslide, readers may find a couple of themes threaded throughout the narrative. A prominent theme is the personal struggle caused by trauma and violence and how a person grapples with it and attempts to continue living his or her life. Another theme is loyalty and dedication and what someone might be willing to do to stay true to themselves and others. And one other theme that readers may find concerns the murky, morally ambiguous, and convoluted facets of espionage. The story goes beyond twists and turns and attempts to illustrate that in the world of intelligence, often there are no right or wrong answers. Frequently, there are only bad and worse situations, and decision-makers must perceive the situation as “what is the least bad option.” And then, once the decisions are made and the outcomes occur (or don’t), what then?

Q: Where can readers find you and your novel online?
Landslide is available through all major booksellers and online retailers, as well as your independent bookstore.

You can learn more about me and my books at https://www.adamsikes.com/, as well as follow me on Instagram and Twitter @Adam_R_Sikes and Goodreads.

 

Author Bio:

Adam Sikes is a novelist and freelance writer. He is a graduate of Georgetown University with a degree in International Politics and a Masters in History. Prior to taking up the pen, he served in the US Marine Corps with combat tours in the Balkans, Iraq, and elsewhere in the Middle East. Following the Marines, Adam joined the CIA and conducted operations in Central Asia, East Africa, and Europe. He is the author of the international thriller Landslide and is the co-author of Open Skies: My Life as Afghanistan’s First Female Pilot. He lives in Southern California.

Catch Up With Adam Sikes:
www.AdamSikes.com
Goodreads
BookBub – @sikesar
Instagram – @Adam_R_Sikes
Twitter – @Adam_R_Sikes

 

 

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