Jack Carr’s In the Blood follows Navy SEAL sniper James Reece as he continues to evolve from a tactical instrument of vengeance into a man navigating the complexities of global power and personal forgiveness. The novel serves as both a continuation of Reece’s journey and an exploration of modern warfare, where kinetic actions with rifles are increasingly influenced by digital dominance and artificial intelligence.

Spoilers ahead…

The plot is ignited by the death of Aliya Galin, a Mossad assassin and former colleague of Reece, whose passenger plane is shot down over Burkina Faso. The perpetrator is identified as Nizar Kattan, a Syrian sniper responsible for killing Reece’s teammate, Freddy Strain. This dual connection draws Reece out of his temporary refuge in Montana and back into the service of the CIA.

For a couple of books now, I’ve been looking forward to the resolution between Reece and Nizar Kattan, so I was pleased to see this as one of the core threads to the plot. But equally intrigued about Aliya Galin and her shared past with Reece.

But perhaps most of all, I was interested in what Reece learns when he visits Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. Here he is introduced to “Alice,” a quantum-computing AI that lives at the deepest levels of the internet and possesses near-total surveillance capabilities.

At the height of the Snowdon revelations, I was deep into the TV series Person of Interest. Alice gave me vibes of “The Machine”, while Reece plays Reese to that machine (pun intended).

Alice assists Reece in fining Nizar Kattan but, for all Alice’s capabilities, I felt this plot device was underutilized. However, I expect this was deliberate by Carr. He often introduces these slow burning threads. I suspect we will see more from Alice in the future, perhaps even a partnership with Reece that keeps him clear of the CIA he’s so desperately trying to avoid working for in any full and meaningful capacity.

The plot take Reece onwards, to Israel to visit the Golan Heights and to meet Aliya’s sister, Shiri Galin, where he survives a Hezbollah-led ambush. The action here was great. Really great. As it also was in Turin, Italy, where Reece teams up with Saul Abelard, a former Mossad operative turned rare bookseller, surviving a devastating bookstore bombing and capturing a Russian Spetsnaz operative. It becomes clear that the loose thread of several books is being pulled. The Russians want Reece dead because of what his father left him. But even as Reece and Kattan engage in a final sniper duel in the mountains of Montenegro, not even Reece knows what it is specifically that has him targeted.

James Reece is depicted as a warrior and a hunter whose DNA is wired for self-reliance and defense. In this installment, his focus shifts from pure retaliation to an internal struggle between violent resolutions and the power in forgiveness. He’s supported by recurring characters like his girlfriend, investigative journalist Katie Buranek, and the Hastings family, who provide a moral anchor against his life of violence.

The antagonist, Nizar Kattan, is a formidable mirror to Reece. He is a thinking man’s sniper who understands that victory often depends on outmaneuvering an opponent rather than just trigger skill. The tension between them is built on their shared expertise in long-range engagements and the weight of their past encounters.

Carr weaves several distinct themes into the narrative:

• Cyber Supremacy: The book highlights the transition of the battleground of the future to the Internet of Things and data manipulation.
• Political Critique: Carr often pauses the action to offer commentary on the military industrial complex, criticizing bureaucratic failures in Afghanistan and the lack of accountability among senior leadership.
• Technical Realism: True to his background as a SEAL, Carr provides meticulous details on firearms, such as the customization of 1911 pistols.

In the Blood is characterized by its high-intensity action sequences, particularly the bookstore fight in Turin and the final confrontation in Montenegro. However, the ending takes an abrupt turn and provides a strong finale to the whole plot. After Reece successfully eliminates Kattan and attempts to retire, he is arrested by the FBI for a conspiracy to assassinate the President of the United States. This cliffhanger shifts the series’ focus from external enemies to internal domestic threats, suggesting that Reece’s most dangerous adversaries may be within the system he once served.

Carr’s prose is direct and often philosophical, reflecting on the fragility of society and the inherent violence of man. While some may find the political commentary heavy-handed, it provides an essential perspective on the motivations driving the modern operative. A perspective that is more and more common, and an accurate assessment of reality. In the Blood effectively blends realistic tactical procedures with a speculative look at the future of intelligence, making it a comprehensive entry in the contemporary thriller genre. Overall, the book was very enjoyable, perhaps a little less so than others before. But that is due to their strength, rather than this book’s weakness. And, I have a strong feeling this book was setup for big future developments.