Don Bentley recently took the helm of the Vince Flynn Mitch Rapp series with the publication of Capture or Kill. Prior to that, Bentley penned four books in the Tom Clancy Jack Ryan Jr. series. Without Sanction is the first book from his debut Matt Drake series.

After surviving a clandestine operation that went tragically wrong, Matt Drake escaped Syria with his life, but little else. Now, to save the life of another, he must return to Syria and confront his biggest failure. It’s a suicide mission—one man against an army of terrorists. Still, with stakes this high, Matt has no choice but to try. He’s going in on high alert, but he’s blind to his greatest vulnerability. His most dangerous enemy is closer to home—not on the battlefield, but in the Oval Office.

I’ve enjoyed all the Jack Jr. books by Bentley, as well his latest book Capture or Kill. So I was excited to get into another series I’d not read before.

Without Sanction was an enjoyable book. I did feel challenged by the main character, Matt Drake. He was mentally and emotionally broken by a prior incident in Syria. He was in his head very often about it all. I am massively empathetic to the traumas experienced in war and found Matt Drake to be a very believable character. We just didn’t click. I just found it hard to find him compelling as a man of action and decisiveness, which was what the story needed from him. This was compounded by his fear or heights, and an accumulation of many injuries – concussion, broken ankle, and more.

Having said that, Drake showed a lot of grit as he navigated getting to the meet with his asset, deep within Syria, while carrying those injuries. The action scenes were solid. I liked the DIA backdrop to his character. It made for a nice change. I also found the scenes with the president, chief of staff, and CIA director all very interesting. At times, I found the political intrigue as interesting as the main action.

I’ll be returning to the series. I think Matt Drake has a lot more to offer, especially since this book may have brought some resolution to the issues troubling him. I hope to see Matt Drake feeling a little more robust and less in his head.