HONOR DUE marks the arrival of a new force in the thriller writing genre - D. H. BROWN. Book 1 of the Citizen Warrior Series is the first in a trilogy consisting of HONOR DEFENDED and HONOR REDEEMED. And the protagonist who goes by the name ‘The Major’ is sure going to fascinate mystery readers worldwide.

The book, rather the protagonist reminded me of Clint Eastwood - remember the types of roles he enacted in The Good, Bad and the Ugly - the somber, dark, brooding, mysterious loner, a man with an aura of mysticism surrounding him. Got it? Well, our Major (who has no high school diploma, but many doctorates in the art of killing) is also an enigmatic personality - and you know at the outset - he's not a man to be taken lightly.

HONOR DUE is an easy and fast read. I received my copy yesterday afternoon and by noon today I had finished it. And boy-oh-boy was I ever so impressed! It's not often you get a masterpiece from a debut author. Take it from me - around the 50-60 odd debut works I read this year, save for 3 or 4 books - all others were duds and not up to the mark. And even the acknowledged superstars in the mystery writing genre had to wait, at least around 3-4 books to create a masterpiece. (Ken Follett had to write 10 books, before producing Eye of the Needle; Dan Brown for 3 before The Da Vinci Code are good examples).

HONOR DUE, told in the first person, has the Major describing his life - an ex-Special Forces veteran of Vietnam era, he put himself out to pasture twelve years ago and has virtually lost himself in the Pacific Northwest rainforest. When he becomes a target of a covert operation, he has no option but to return to his old ways.

The return becomes even more personal when his wartime buddy, Y'Ang Boun Dhung (yup, no mistake - this is the guy's name) is abducted, tortured and killed, and his daughter kidnapped. What follows is action at its somber best, culminating in a finish that can only be described as truly “Majorian.” And to put it in a cliché, with The Major, D. H. BROWN has surely found the way to “major” success in mystery writing (pun intentional).

Just one sad point - we have to wait before HONOR DEFENDED and HONOR REDEEMED hit the market - and Mr. Brown if you're reading this, quick, double-quick, publish the sequels!

Highly, highly recommended.

For your very own copy of HONOR DUE by D.H BROWN visit the order page and get one. You'll be glad you did!

Narayan Radhakrishnan, from India
Advocate and Sr. Associate Reviewer of Rebeccasreads.com