Bear in the Dragon's Shadow
Where Deception Meets Strategy
Bear in the Dragon’s Shadow is an exhilarating geopolitical thriller in which a capable, tight-knit special operations team tracks down a dangerous terrorist.
In Donald E. Patterson’s gripping thriller Bear in the Dragon’s Shadow, a Special Forces operator works to stop a catastrophic cyberattack.
Matt leads a team for the Defense Clandestine Services (DCS), handling covert missions before the world even knows threats exist. A botched raid in Ukraine leaves one teammate dead and the target, Lebedev, missing. Though DCS writes him off, Matt suspects that Lebedev is alive and plotting.
When Lebedev is spotted on US soil, DCS reopens the mission and authorizes Matt to hunt him down. Layer by layer, the team uncovers a chilling plot: China and Russia have conspired to cripple the US’s electrical grid with a recurring cyberattack, plunging the country into near-permanent blackouts.
Blending tactical actions with geopolitical intrigue, the story alternates between tense missions abroad and quiet scenes at DCS’s Santa Barbara base. During operations, the action is precise and efficient, underscoring the operatives’ elite training. And when Matt corners an enemy carrying vital intelligence, the narrative slows to cover shattered bones and gaping wounds, and Matt’s ruthless resolve comes into sharp relief.
In combat, people’s conversations are spare and urgent, reflecting the need for brevity when lives hang in the balance. Back at base, their exchanges lengthen, peppered with jargon that illuminates the political, military, and economic stakes of Lebedev’s plot. And the loss of his teammate haunts Matt, grounding his characterization. He carries guilt for the failed raid and the innocent lives caught in the fallout. While his team is fleshed out in terms of their inside jokes and casual banter, most of its members are underdeveloped in comparison to Matt. April, the newest member, is distinguished by glimpses of her life beyond work, though, and a cautious romance blossoms between her and Matt.
Meticulous details enrich the story, as of Matt shifting on a car seat that’s held together by duct tape over a rusted spring, or with mentions of the sun-drenched beauty of Santa Barbara and the serene restaurants where Matt and April meet. Descriptions of tactical gear, encrypted communications, and the choreography of high-stakes missions also abound. Still, the book centers on Matt’s ethical struggles; he considers the costs of victory at length. As his team unravels the grid-attack scheme, they discover that it is a prelude to a far larger plot. The incremental revelation of Lebedev’s ultimate plan is exhilarating, and the epilogue teases future DCS missions well.
Bear in the Dragon’s Shadow is a taut thriller in which a soldier determines to protect his country without sacrificing his humanity.
Reviewed by
John M. Murray
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book and paid a small fee to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. Foreword Reviews and Clarion Reviews make no guarantee that the publisher will receive a positive review. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
