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This Fight Inspired Me
Full Circle follows a counterterrorist organization that becomes the target of someone they thought was dead, who now has to find and eliminate the threat. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I spent 22 years in the CIA, primarily in the field of counterterrorism. I spent considerable time in the Philippines where we had to take on the New People’s Army (NPA) which was the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines. This fight inspired me to write this book.
How did you come up with the idea for the antagonist in this story, and how did it change as you wrote?
I wanted the antagonist to be an opponent that had not been seen before in novels. Having an NPA Sparrow (assassination) unit gunman as the killer felt to me to be a novel and different idea for a bad guy. It changed as I wrote as I decided to have a back story explaining how he ended up in the NPA when he started off as a good kid. He was still bad and had to be stopped by my protagonist, Jack Trench and his team, but I wanted to make the bad guy more than a one-dimensional character.
How did you balance the action scenes with the story elements and still keep a fast pace in the story?
I wanted the action scenes to grab the reader from the first chapter. But having too many action scenes makes a book too cartoonish. So, I made sure the story carried the day while the action sequences provided the necessary support to the story. I also made sure the action sequences were realistic based on my background in the CIA and as a police officer in Oakland, CA.
Where do you see your characters after the book ends?
I have written two more books in the Jack Trench series and in each one, the characters are drawn back into the world of covert action. But you also see more information revealed about them as the books progress. I want the readers to really feel like they know the characters and what makes them tick.
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Or, so he thought.
A phone call brings Jack back into the spy game. Someone is coming after his old team, critically wounding one and landing him in the ICU. Now Jack is out for revenge. And as the clues start emerging as to who might be behind the brutal assault, the team must reunite one more time to take on a lethal foe. A foe they thought no longer existed.
They were wrong. Once again, it’s kill or be killed.
Jack Trench is about to find out, in life, things can go full circle.
Omega Deception
Mike Howard’s Omega Deception opens with a punch and doesn’t slow down. It’s the kind of thriller that drops you straight into the action and then keeps twisting until you’re dizzy from the pace. The story follows Jack Trench, a former Marine turned CIA operative, whose stolen Omega watch becomes the thread that unravels an international conspiracy. The novel leaps between continents and decades, weaving tales of espionage, betrayal, and revenge. From the narrow alleys of Milan to the heat of African battlegrounds, it’s part spy story, part revenge tale, and part emotional reckoning for a man whose past refuses to stay buried.
Howard’s writing has grit and authenticity. The dialogue snaps, the military detail feels earned, and the characters, especially Trench, have that rough-edged humanity that makes them believable. I found myself grinning at the old-school spycraft and then wincing at the violence that comes with it. At times, the pacing gallops so fast that I had to catch my breath, but I kind of loved that. It reminded me why I read thrillers in the first place, to feel the pulse of danger, the smell of sweat, and the uncertainty of who’s really the good guy.
What stood out most wasn’t just the gunfights or the secret missions. It was the emotion underneath it all. Howard gives Jack Trench moments of reflection and regret that hit harder than any bullet. There’s loss here, and a kind of moral exhaustion that seeps through the pages. Some parts hit like a gut punch, especially when the past comes back around to demand its due. I could tell the author respects the people who live in the shadows, the operatives who do the dirty work no one ever hears about. That respect shows up in every sentence, and it’s what lifts the story beyond a standard shoot-’em-up spy novel.
Omega Deception is a fast, lean, no-nonsense thriller that would appeal to anyone who loves stories about spies, soldiers, and secrets. It’s perfect for readers who like Clancy’s precision but want something grittier and more relatable. If you want action that feels real, characters with scars that matter, and writing that moves like a heartbeat, then this book will hook you hard and keep you turning the pages until late at night.
Pages: 325 | ASIN : B0DTVWPTZQ
Full Circle – A Jack Trench Thriller
Full Circle by Mike Howard drops you headfirst into the shadowy world of espionage and never lets you climb back out. At the heart of the story is Jack Trench, a CIA case officer who has spent decades chasing terrorists across the globe. The novel opens in Manila, where Trench faces betrayal, blood, and the ruthless world of “Sparrow Units” bent on killing Americans. From there, the story stretches into the depths of Cobra One, the CIA’s hard-hitting counterterrorism arm, and carries Trench across continents and into retirement, where old ghosts and new dangers won’t leave him alone. The story mixes high-octane operations with the slower burn of regret and memory, building a character who is equal parts hardened operator and weary man looking for peace.
What stood out to me most was how straightforward the writing feels. It’s straight-shooting, clear, and doesn’t hide behind literary tricks. The action is described in sharp detail, and sometimes I felt like I was sitting in the backseat of that armored SUV with Trench, or crouching in the shadows with The Watchers. The violence is raw, often sudden, and always personal. At times, I caught myself holding my breath. Yet, there were also moments when the prose leaned into exposition. Background details sometimes came in thick slabs, slowing down the pace I’d gotten hooked on. Still, I admired the author’s dedication to grounding the story in real-world intelligence tradecraft, it gave the book a grit that felt convincing.
Emotionally, the book hit me harder than I expected. Jack Trench is no cardboard hero. He’s ruthless when he has to be, but the man carries loneliness and loss with him like extra baggage. Reading the quieter scenes, like his battle with caterpillars in his garden or the way he pours himself a bourbon while reflecting on old missions, I felt the weight of a life lived in shadows. The blend of action and emotion is what kept picking the book every night to finish the story.
I’d say Full Circle is a great pick for readers who love military thrillers, CIA spycraft, or stories about men who can’t quite escape the lives they built. If you’re someone who enjoys Tom Clancy or Vince Flynn, you’ll feel at home here. But it’s also a good choice for anyone curious about the toll that a lifetime of covert work takes on a person. This is a story with bullets flying and blood spilling, but it’s also a story about a man trying to come full circle in his life.
Pages: 204 | ASIN : B0BYTP2KFB
LITERARY TITAN 