Book Review: "Juggernaut" by Adam Baker

THEY SEARCHED FOR GOLD. THEY FOUND DEATH.

           

Iraq 2005. Seven mercenaries hear an enticing rumor: somewhere, abandoned in the swirling desert sands, lies an abandoned Republican Guard convoy containing millions of pounds of Saddam's gold.  They form an unlikely crew of battle-scarred privateers, killers and thieves, veterans of a dozen war zones, each of them anxious to make one last score before their luck runs out. 

After liberating the sole surviving Guard member from US capture, the team makes their way to the ancient ruins where the convoy was last seen.  Although all seems eerily quiet and deserted when they arrive, they soon find themselves caught in a desperate battle for their lives, confronted by greed, betrayal, and an army that won't stay dead.

An unputdownable military thriller that SFFworld.com called "Three Kings meets The Walking Dead,” Juggernaut is a heart-pounding, fast-paced read that doesn’t let up until the last page. - from Amazon.com

I originally thought this was a stand alone novel by Baker, but realized it is sort of a prequel to his other novel, OUTPOST. I didn't realize the connection until I was about a good third into the book. It started out well, gathering a group of mercs, and sending them on a mission to find a hidden cache of gold. Really? Needless to say, it was little better than I expected. I did finish the second half of the book, just because I wanted to see how it tied into OUTPOST. Baker's next book, TERMINUS, I hope is much better.