There are two things about Travis Brock that are unique in that I’ve never met a character (or real-life person) with these characteristics. First, he works at the US Pentagon as a redactor: he responds to official information requests, redacting information that could compromise US security. Second, he has an eidetic memory … which means he never forgets anything (and which makes him the perfect person to be a redactor).
Fatal Domain is the second book in the Travis Brock Thriller series, following Broker of Lies. While you could read Fatal Domain as a standalone story, I think it’s best to read Broker of Lies first. Click here to read my review of Broker of Lies.
At the start of Broker of Lies, Travis is leading a fairly normal life, notwithstanding the fact he works at the Pentagon and was recently widowed in a house fire. Fatal Domain follows directly on from the events in Broker of Lies, and is equally fast-paced: the action takes place in a matter of days. (The romances I normally read usually take place over weeks or months.)
But, much like an episode of “24”, something happens to kick off the action, and Travis Brock and his colleagues are off on a Jack Bauer or James Bond-like chase to stop the bad guys getting their hands on top secret US technology. From that point of view, Fatal Domain follows many familiar thriller tropes. What makes it stand out is Travis Brock as a character, and Steven James’s ability to weave in thought-provoking Christian concepts, such as the nature of right and wrong.
One of the “big reveal” moments in Fatal Domain had been foreshadowed in Broker of Likes, so didn’t come as so much of a surprise as it might have if I hadn’t read the first book. However, I (relatively unusually) had read Broker of Lies not long before before I read Fatal Domain, so I remembered what was coming. This lessened the surprise but added to the tension: when was Travis going to work out what I already knew? And how was that going to affect the plot?
As with the other Steven James novels I’ve read, James delivers a tightly plotted yet thought-provoking thriller that lands some solid observations about life and faith.
Recommended for thriller fans, or for anyone looking for a lesson in compelling storytelling.
About Steven James
Steven James is the critically acclaimed, national bestselling author of sixteen novels.
His work has been optioned by ABC Studios and praised by Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, the New York Journal of Books, and many others. His pulse-pounding, award-winning thrillers are known for their intricate storylines and insightful explorations of good and evil.
When he’s not working on his next book, he’s either teaching master classes on writing throughout the country, trail running, or sneaking off to catch a matinee.
Find Steven James online at:
Website | Facebook | X/Twitter
About Fatal Domain
When the past scratches its way into the present, it can leave deep scars.
A series of cryptic clues leads Department of Defense redactor Travis Brock to suspect that a grim chapter from his past is not yet over. With the help of his eidetic memory and his newly formed team, he must unearth the truth and stop a terrorist group from stealing one of the military’s most highly guarded technological breakthroughs. With it, the group plans to commit a daring act of espionage that could upend the work of one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical firms and impact millions of people worldwide.
In a high-stakes story of action and intrigue that reaches from a refugee settlement in Uganda to the shores of the Potomac in Washington, DC, shattering secrets from the past will be revealed, loyalties tested, and intimate betrayals brought to light as Brock is forced to decide how to forgive what he cannot forget.
