Full Black by Brad Thor

by Jeff Ayers

Brad Thor is one of the masters of the spy thriller genre.  His character, Scot Harvath, remains a strong force in the fight against the scourge of terrorism.  Brad took the time to answer a few questions about his new Harvath thriller, FULL BLACK and what readers can expect next.

What does the title of your new thriller, FULL BLACK, mean?

“FULL BLACK” is a term used to describe the most sensitive – most deadly and secretive of black operations.

What sparked the idea for the novel?

I base all of my thrillers on real world events and that’s exactly what I did with FULL BLACK.  Without giving away too much of the plot, FULL BLACK is based upon an ingenious attack blueprint drawn up by a foreign nation hostile to the United States.  The blueprint came about when the foreign nation’s military leaders realized they could never defeat the U.S. on the conventional battlefield.  They applied some of their brightest minds to figuring out a way America could be covertly brought down without any of the attacks having their fingerprints.

Written in the 1990’s, the blueprint is entitled: Unrestricted Warfare and it amazingly foreshadowed the 9/11 attacks, the 2003 blackout of the Northeast, and the 2008 financial meltdown – among multiple other events.  It also called for mimicking, manipulating, and outright co-opting third parties such as Islamic militants and George Soros to help hasten America’s demise.

As my friend and fellow author, Brad Meltzer once said, “A thriller writer’s job is to beat the headlines.”  I think the plot of FULL BLACK is unfolding right outside all of our doors right at this very moment.

Any plans on a sequel to your non-Harvath thriller, THE ATHENA PROJECT?  Does this mean two books a year?

The next book in the pipeline after FULL BLACK is an ATHENA/Scot Harvath blend.  I have an incredibly exciting plot perfectly suited for Scot and the women of The Athena Project.  The book will be mostly Scot, but with a strong Athena/Delta Force component.  We’re keeping the title under wraps at the moment and will be doing a big unveil, along with a bunch of teasers, later this year.

What are your thoughts about Bin Laden since Harvath used to serve with the team that took him out?

I’m very pleased with the killing of Bin Laden and think the SEALs did a terrific job.  Having written about the SEAL Teams for over ten years, I’m always glad to see them get credit for the courageous and extremely dangerous work they do.  Across our Special Operations Forces and throughout our military, intelligence, and law enforcement communities, we are incredibly fortunate to have such brave men and women fighting to keep us free and safe from harm.

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Brad Thor, a graduate of the University of Southern California, has served as a member of the Department of Homeland Security’s Analytic Red Cell Program and is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Lions of Lucerne, Path of the Assassin, State of the Union, Blowback, Takedown, The First Commandment, The Last Patriot, The Apostle, Foreign Influence and The Athena Project.

For more information, please visit Brad’s website.