After four books in the Tom Clancy Jack Ryan Jr. series Don Bentley recently took the helm of the Vince Flynn Mitch Rapp series. I’m going back and checking out his his debut Matt Drake series while I wait for the next Mitch Rapp book, Denied Access.

My review of the first book in the Matt Drake series, Without Sanction, wasn’t overly favourable. But I wanted to continue to see how Bentley developed the series as I had found his Ryanverse books really enjoyable. Ultimately, I wasn’t disappointed with The Outside Man.

The fight for freedom has sent Matt Drake to some of the world’s most dangerous spots. This time the war is coming to his front door. Broad daylight on an Austin, Texas, street and DIA operative Matt Drake is fighting for his life against a highly trained team of assassins. Who are they? Why do they want him dead? How will he protect those closest to him? The answers will take him into some of the most dangerous spots in the Middle East and will put him in the clutches of an old foe known simply as the Devil. It’s a world of double crosses, with no boundaries between the guilty and the innocent. It will take all of Drake’s wiles to get out alive.

While Without Sanction introduced readers to a guilt-wracked and wounded warrior, this follow-up presents a more steady, more balanced Matt Drake. Still scarred, still haunted, but more functional and increasingly likeable.

From the first pages, Bentley hooks readers with a gripping shootout on U.S. soil. It’s a refreshing shift in setting, one that briefly teases a domestic-centered thriller before veering into darker, grittier international territory. Though I would’ve liked to see the full plot unfold stateside, what follows doesn’t disappoint. The central thread, human trafficking with ties to the Middle East, is harrowing and disturbingly plausible. Bentley doesn’t flinch from the horror of it, and while he doesn’t delve too deeply into moral sermons, the narrative leaves you reflecting on the intersection of war, trauma, and exploitation.

Matt Drake himself is still the emotional core. Compared to his debut, he’s less self-destructive, more capable of holding it together, and thankfully not subjected to the borderline-superhuman injuries seen in Without Sanction. The action sequences are tight, thrilling, and most importantly, believable. Bentley, a former Army Apache pilot and FBI special agent, brings authenticity to every bullet and breach. This time, the violence feels earned and restrained, and the stakes remain high without straining credibility.

That said, the book isn’t without friction. The dynamic between Drake and his sidekick Frodo, who still comes across as emotionally and physically tethered to Drake, feels increasingly imbalanced. The 80s pop culture quips meant to add levity sometimes land awkwardly, undercutting tension rather than enhancing camaraderie. While it’s easy to believe Bentley is drawing from real-life operator banter, it doesn’t always translate smoothly.

Laila, Drake’s wife and somewhat complicated love interest, plays a small role but adds an essential human layer to the story. Their relationship feels authentic, and it’s not hard to imagine it improving in tandem with Drake’s slow journey toward emotional recovery, a thread that, while subdued, continues from Without Sanction. PTSD is still present, but less pronounced.

Despite minor bumps, The Outside Man is a stronger book than its predecessor. More focused. More confident. And more tightly written. It works surprisingly well as a standalone, though returning readers will appreciate the continuity and growth. If you’re in the mood for a plot-driven thriller with a somewhat broken protagonist worth rooting for, you will enjoy this one.