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Unsanctioned Asset #1
A Team of One
New York City faces a fate worse than death, the President suspects a traitor in the White House, and an intelligence analyst discovers a diabolical plot.
Former Navy SEAL “Axe” Southmark is enticed out of retirement to help the analyst and the President. But does he have what it takes to save the world?
As a Navy SEAL, Axe was trained to never give up. But after fifteen years on the front lines, it was time to let younger, faster men take the reins.
When he’s enlisted to help the President’s niece search for both a terrorist on the loose and a traitor in the government, he doesn’t hesitate.
It’s what he does: protects the vulnerable and kills bad guys.
With New York City threatened by a virtuoso bomber, there’s plenty of both to be done.
Will they be able to stop a madman before it’s too late? And is there more to the plot than meets the eye?
Find out in this wild ride of a story.
Former Navy SEAL “Axe” Southmark is enticed out of retirement to help the analyst and the President. But does he have what it takes to save the world?
As a Navy SEAL, Axe was trained to never give up. But after fifteen years on the front lines, it was time to let younger, faster men take the reins.
When he’s enlisted to help the President’s niece search for both a terrorist on the loose and a traitor in the government, he doesn’t hesitate.
It’s what he does: protects the vulnerable and kills bad guys.
With New York City threatened by a virtuoso bomber, there’s plenty of both to be done.
Will they be able to stop a madman before it’s too late? And is there more to the plot than meets the eye?
Find out in this wild ride of a story.
420 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 30, 2021
1976 people are currently reading
790 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 158 reviews
August 31, 2025
A new author for me, also a first in a series, and a good action paced thriller.
Great twists, great characters, great story. The main character Axe was a strong well developed and character. A good start to new series.
New York City faces a fate worse than death, the President suspects a traitor in the government, and an intelligence analyst discovers a diabolical plot.
Former Navy SEAL “Axe” Southmark is enticed out of retirement to help the analyst and the president. But does he have what it takes to save the world?
As a Navy SEAL, Alex was trained to never give up. But after fifteen years on the front lines, it was time to let younger, faster men take the reins.
When he’s enlisted to help the president’s niece search for a terrorist on the loose, he doesn’t hesitate.
It’s what he does: protects the vulnerable and kills bad guys.
With New York City threatened by a virtuoso bomber, there’s plenty of both to be done.
Will they be able to stop a madman before it’s too late? And is there more to the plot than meets the eye?
Find out in this wild ride of a story.
If you like the adventures of Mitch Rapp, Scot Harvath, Jack Ryan, and Court Gentry, you’ll love “Axe” Southmark.
Great twists, great characters, great story. The main character Axe was a strong well developed and character. A good start to new series.
New York City faces a fate worse than death, the President suspects a traitor in the government, and an intelligence analyst discovers a diabolical plot.
Former Navy SEAL “Axe” Southmark is enticed out of retirement to help the analyst and the president. But does he have what it takes to save the world?
As a Navy SEAL, Alex was trained to never give up. But after fifteen years on the front lines, it was time to let younger, faster men take the reins.
When he’s enlisted to help the president’s niece search for a terrorist on the loose, he doesn’t hesitate.
It’s what he does: protects the vulnerable and kills bad guys.
With New York City threatened by a virtuoso bomber, there’s plenty of both to be done.
Will they be able to stop a madman before it’s too late? And is there more to the plot than meets the eye?
Find out in this wild ride of a story.
If you like the adventures of Mitch Rapp, Scot Harvath, Jack Ryan, and Court Gentry, you’ll love “Axe” Southmark.
January 23, 2022
Fast and great plot
All the bravado mixed in with tech stuff makes for a good read. Will read the next in the series for sure.
All the bravado mixed in with tech stuff makes for a good read. Will read the next in the series for sure.
September 18, 2024
Loved the Characters and Narration by Stacy Corolan was excellent.
November 28, 2024
Likable action tale
Easy flow story of good guys against bad guys. Read this in one day,no regrets. Looking forward to the next adventure.
Easy flow story of good guys against bad guys. Read this in one day,no regrets. Looking forward to the next adventure.
April 28, 2025
nicely paced and good characters, will read the next
July 8, 2024
I can't fathom these crazy high ratings. Even Ballistic by Mark Greaney only got 4.31. The Characters in Team of One are one dimensional caricatures, the plot is far fetched, and the main character is a badass at the level that any resistance he meets is fleeting and barely causes him to break a sweat. It reminds .me a lot of the 80's cartoon, The Real Ghostbusters. The heroes are heroic,throwing around technical sounding jargon and using military phrasing in a disjointed and odd way that let's you know that the author did a little research but not enough to be convincing. The villains are pure evil and incompetent. I can only think that the other reviewer are fans of the author's motivational speeches and reviewed this book as a favor.
April 13, 2022
Good story until the "Let's go green" propaganda
I was enjoying the story waiting for the tide to tun for the good guys, then suddenly I needed to suspend reality on steroids. After the NYC power grid is destroyed along with all avenues of ingress and egress for the city, they presidents chief of staff comes up with the brilliant idea of installing solar panels on all the buildings to power the city. The bonus is that it will launch the new green deal. Did AOC co either this book??? I gave it a generous two stars because the writing was decent and I only four two glaring typos through the first half of the book
I was enjoying the story waiting for the tide to tun for the good guys, then suddenly I needed to suspend reality on steroids. After the NYC power grid is destroyed along with all avenues of ingress and egress for the city, they presidents chief of staff comes up with the brilliant idea of installing solar panels on all the buildings to power the city. The bonus is that it will launch the new green deal. Did AOC co either this book??? I gave it a generous two stars because the writing was decent and I only four two glaring typos through the first half of the book
October 14, 2022
I enjoyed this book! It was well written and proofed. It was obviously a work of fiction, however… the POTUS was a former Navy SEAL? I think the majority of 21st Century veterans have too much integrity to be able to survive a campaign for that office. That and the fact that NYC skyscrapers would not be able to be powered with solar panels. (Now, a wind turbine mounted on top of a 100-story building may be a different story.) The protagonists were very likable and I was rooting for them to succeed. The author was even able to write the story without a lot of unnecessary and extraneous vulgarity. Well done!
January 15, 2023
Great Action Book
Just discovered Axe and I have to admit one hell of a story. Lee is an excellent story teller, great plotting, character development and, of course, action. The dialogue is believable and the hero is not a super human. Just a dedicated SEAL. I do not want to address plot lines to avoid spoilers, just say I highly recommend the book. And I am looking forward to the next few in the series. If you love Reacher, you’ll love Axe. Go for it.
Just discovered Axe and I have to admit one hell of a story. Lee is an excellent story teller, great plotting, character development and, of course, action. The dialogue is believable and the hero is not a super human. Just a dedicated SEAL. I do not want to address plot lines to avoid spoilers, just say I highly recommend the book. And I am looking forward to the next few in the series. If you love Reacher, you’ll love Axe. Go for it.
October 3, 2024
Author Brad Lee weaves a decent thriller in "A Team of One", a storyline that captured my interest and held it well. His characters are well developed, interesting, and realistic.
Having read a good deal of "Tier One" covert ops fiction, this one stands up pretty well alongside big names like Mark Greaney, Tom Clancy, Brad Thor, and the like. It was a good enough tale, with characters I liked, for me to purchase the sequel, so that should tell you that it was a good read.
I gave it only 4 stars because there were, in my mind, some less than realistic aspects to some of the plot elements, but that's just me -- when it comes to military or paramilitary thrillers, I want the action to be realistic to the nth degree, and this novel didn't quite get there for this particular metric. Nevertheless, it's definitely worth reading.
Warning! Spoilers hereafter...
Storyline -- The United States is hit by a series of targeted terrorist attacks that strike around the New York metro area, and everyone's at a loss as to why... except for one young genius prodigy in the new Central Analysis Group. Her ability to absorb huge amounts of data and distill it down into hunches -- which turn out to be spot on -- fuels the investigation into what is going on, and leads to her active involvement with the other main character, Ax, as they work to thwart further attacks and track down those responsible.
Having read a good deal of "Tier One" covert ops fiction, this one stands up pretty well alongside big names like Mark Greaney, Tom Clancy, Brad Thor, and the like. It was a good enough tale, with characters I liked, for me to purchase the sequel, so that should tell you that it was a good read.
I gave it only 4 stars because there were, in my mind, some less than realistic aspects to some of the plot elements, but that's just me -- when it comes to military or paramilitary thrillers, I want the action to be realistic to the nth degree, and this novel didn't quite get there for this particular metric. Nevertheless, it's definitely worth reading.
Warning! Spoilers hereafter...
Storyline -- The United States is hit by a series of targeted terrorist attacks that strike around the New York metro area, and everyone's at a loss as to why... except for one young genius prodigy in the new Central Analysis Group. Her ability to absorb huge amounts of data and distill it down into hunches -- which turn out to be spot on -- fuels the investigation into what is going on, and leads to her active involvement with the other main character, Ax, as they work to thwart further attacks and track down those responsible.
September 7, 2022
Good story of a retired Seal -Axe, now wildlife photographer being asked to help a newbie analyst( daughter of the best friend of the president's wife) for a private but government connected company.
She may be a newbie but seems to be the only analyst to come up with "data" pointing to "something" happening in NYCity and also near (Rabbit/Pig) or Hauppauge (Hop/Hog as it is pronuounced) as one bad guy describes it. (Since I previously lived there- I thought this was hilarious).
NY ends up losing it's electrical power and the idea of putting solar panels on buildings to power the city is just nuts- there wouldn't be enough panels to power NY by solar at least not with the present capabilities. It is wishful thinking way before it's time. NY would end up like California with rolling blackouts! (This part of the story should have been edited out.
It's fast paced an ok read.
She may be a newbie but seems to be the only analyst to come up with "data" pointing to "something" happening in NYCity and also near (Rabbit/Pig) or Hauppauge (Hop/Hog as it is pronuounced) as one bad guy describes it. (Since I previously lived there- I thought this was hilarious).
NY ends up losing it's electrical power and the idea of putting solar panels on buildings to power the city is just nuts- there wouldn't be enough panels to power NY by solar at least not with the present capabilities. It is wishful thinking way before it's time. NY would end up like California with rolling blackouts! (This part of the story should have been edited out.
It's fast paced an ok read.
April 23, 2023
Wow!
I stayed up until 4:00 a.m. to finish this book! It reached out and caught me up in it's pages! There wasn't a chance in h-ll that I was getting any sleep until I finished it!!
The chases, the bullet wounds and terror of ed of seeing a gun in your face.
No over paid characters that were in love with themselves, no person overlooked when
they were suspected of treason.
Taking a life for the first time, left some wondering how anyone would do this again and again. Others killed innocent people with no problem. Could you kill when you were ordered to?
Find out how or if you could live the life!
Book had detailed descriptions of gun fire, bombs and trees and oceans and "Angels"!
I stayed up until 4:00 a.m. to finish this book! It reached out and caught me up in it's pages! There wasn't a chance in h-ll that I was getting any sleep until I finished it!!
The chases, the bullet wounds and terror of ed of seeing a gun in your face.
No over paid characters that were in love with themselves, no person overlooked when
they were suspected of treason.
Taking a life for the first time, left some wondering how anyone would do this again and again. Others killed innocent people with no problem. Could you kill when you were ordered to?
Find out how or if you could live the life!
Book had detailed descriptions of gun fire, bombs and trees and oceans and "Angels"!
December 17, 2023
This book ticks all the boxes for a character driven thriller. It has everything the reader might want with a plot against the president, and ex-Navy seal and a brilliant and beautiful analyst. Lots of mystery, a lot of violence and a really good yarn.
I read this as an audiobook, and must congratulate the excellent reading of Stacey Carlin, who covered every character beautifully and drew me along with the story .
A definite five star and I’m thrilled to know I have a full series of these characters to read.
I read this as an audiobook, and must congratulate the excellent reading of Stacey Carlin, who covered every character beautifully and drew me along with the story .
A definite five star and I’m thrilled to know I have a full series of these characters to read.
March 13, 2024
Team of One
This book is a great read if you are aware of what is happening to our country. Tells us what could happen and by whom. Very interesting to me as I have seen many changes in our country over my 78 years on this earth. Brad Lee has put 2 people together that turn out to be the needed sheep dogs for this story.
I gave a rating of 5 as the story kept me interested from start to finish. Thanks to Mr. Lee for giving me another book to read while I wait for Bobby Akart to get his second book of his "Behind the Gates " series completed.
This book is a great read if you are aware of what is happening to our country. Tells us what could happen and by whom. Very interesting to me as I have seen many changes in our country over my 78 years on this earth. Brad Lee has put 2 people together that turn out to be the needed sheep dogs for this story.
I gave a rating of 5 as the story kept me interested from start to finish. Thanks to Mr. Lee for giving me another book to read while I wait for Bobby Akart to get his second book of his "Behind the Gates " series completed.
June 16, 2025
I am quite cautious about new (to me) authors so after reading the synopsis I was kinda intrigued,
so as a British Army Veteran and as we say in the UK "I took a punt".
I thoroughly enjoyed it, it was well researched, accurate and well written with humour and I really enjoyed the way the main characters came together.
So if like me you were unsure about buying it don't be, it is well worth the money and you will get through it quite quickly as it is a right page turner.
Highly recommended and, book two in the bag.
so as a British Army Veteran and as we say in the UK "I took a punt".
I thoroughly enjoyed it, it was well researched, accurate and well written with humour and I really enjoyed the way the main characters came together.
So if like me you were unsure about buying it don't be, it is well worth the money and you will get through it quite quickly as it is a right page turner.
Highly recommended and, book two in the bag.
February 23, 2022
Damn fine story, borderline 5 stars
This was a reasonably well written book with an excellent story. There were good characters, both good guys and bad. There were a few gaps/jumps from one place or time to another, but there was enough info I could easily follow along.
Overall this was a fun story and I very much enjoyed. I just purchased the next two books in series. I hope there are as good as this was.
Thank you Mr Lee, enjoyed it!
This was a reasonably well written book with an excellent story. There were good characters, both good guys and bad. There were a few gaps/jumps from one place or time to another, but there was enough info I could easily follow along.
Overall this was a fun story and I very much enjoyed. I just purchased the next two books in series. I hope there are as good as this was.
Thank you Mr Lee, enjoyed it!
October 28, 2022
Non stop action and suspense, Attention grabber.
As a book reader it is not uncommon for me to have many books started and partly read for months, or years. It takes a rare special book to hold me glued until it is finished. This is that type of book!
Would recommend this book to any military active duty or retired, any Law enforcement agencies. (Special forces ops type book).
Love the book finished it in two days. Going to Amazon to order his next book.
As a book reader it is not uncommon for me to have many books started and partly read for months, or years. It takes a rare special book to hold me glued until it is finished. This is that type of book!
Would recommend this book to any military active duty or retired, any Law enforcement agencies. (Special forces ops type book).
Love the book finished it in two days. Going to Amazon to order his next book.
January 18, 2023
Politics Has no Place in Warfare
A new series just starting...a young analyst who sees what no others do and a retired SEAL ready to charge the hill one more time for all the right reasons. Now they wade into politics where they respect few. It is not clear who is really on their side but the nation hands in the balance.
Can Axe keep it safe against all odds? Time to find out.
A new series just starting...a young analyst who sees what no others do and a retired SEAL ready to charge the hill one more time for all the right reasons. Now they wade into politics where they respect few. It is not clear who is really on their side but the nation hands in the balance.
Can Axe keep it safe against all odds? Time to find out.
November 11, 2023
Great Action Adventure
This book is the first in a series. It reminds me greatly of the Arnold movie 'Eraser'. There are ex-military elites and security analysts fighting against greedy sociopaths. The book flies by and is a bit white knuckle here and there. The book is long enough for enjoyable detail. But, no bad language, no sex, and no gore (but there is blood and pain). I am going to jump right in and read the next book in the series because I am ready to binge-read this dynamic duo!
This book is the first in a series. It reminds me greatly of the Arnold movie 'Eraser'. There are ex-military elites and security analysts fighting against greedy sociopaths. The book flies by and is a bit white knuckle here and there. The book is long enough for enjoyable detail. But, no bad language, no sex, and no gore (but there is blood and pain). I am going to jump right in and read the next book in the series because I am ready to binge-read this dynamic duo!
March 23, 2024
Great Action
I love books that have a lot of story and action.
It was the perfect length for character building and yet not so long that it had lag.
A former Navy SEAL is asked to protect a government analyst.
On his way he foils a kidnapping. Then gets caught up in a well thought out terrorist plot.
I am a sucker for the military who move on to still go on undercover missions.
Looking forward to the next book
I love books that have a lot of story and action.
It was the perfect length for character building and yet not so long that it had lag.
A former Navy SEAL is asked to protect a government analyst.
On his way he foils a kidnapping. Then gets caught up in a well thought out terrorist plot.
I am a sucker for the military who move on to still go on undercover missions.
Looking forward to the next book
August 8, 2025
Always ready
Axe was enjoying himself, didn’t realize how much he missed the action after handing in his papers, his reason, he was getting to slow and felt it was time to move on or he would endanger his team.
A new assignment was offered some time after leaving the Seals, a secret meeting at the shooting range. He had still kept fit and could handle a gun with great efficiency, once a Seal always a Seal. Brilliant story, loved every page.
Axe was enjoying himself, didn’t realize how much he missed the action after handing in his papers, his reason, he was getting to slow and felt it was time to move on or he would endanger his team.
A new assignment was offered some time after leaving the Seals, a secret meeting at the shooting range. He had still kept fit and could handle a gun with great efficiency, once a Seal always a Seal. Brilliant story, loved every page.
July 7, 2022
Above Average Thriller
Starting with a bang, Lee crafts a rollicking thriller that’s just complicated enough. Good descriptions help the reader picture the action, characters are sketched well. A few pieces of dialogue ring false, but overall this is a promising beginning to this series.
Starting with a bang, Lee crafts a rollicking thriller that’s just complicated enough. Good descriptions help the reader picture the action, characters are sketched well. A few pieces of dialogue ring false, but overall this is a promising beginning to this series.
August 15, 2022
thank goodness for the protectors
One of those hard to put down books. Scary from the point of view of how relatively easy it would be for bad guys to implement such a strike. Thank you for the protectors. Will definitely keep reading this series and hope they catch Todd in a future book.
One of those hard to put down books. Scary from the point of view of how relatively easy it would be for bad guys to implement such a strike. Thank you for the protectors. Will definitely keep reading this series and hope they catch Todd in a future book.
December 6, 2023
Well Done, unique story
The young lady, cyber sleuth and anylist generally calling the shots for a seal one man army.
Direct ties to the President of USA and an influential Admiral pulling the strings.
A corrupt and evil Vice President and a President/warrior taking action into his own hands.
A very nice flow to the story and realistic believable characters.
The young lady, cyber sleuth and anylist generally calling the shots for a seal one man army.
Direct ties to the President of USA and an influential Admiral pulling the strings.
A corrupt and evil Vice President and a President/warrior taking action into his own hands.
A very nice flow to the story and realistic believable characters.
May 22, 2024
This was my husband's choice for an audio book to listen to on a recent driving trip. Not terrible but not great either. One of my biggest issues with the book is that the author didn't know when to stop. There were several places where the book should have ended but the author had to keep going to get another tidbit or loose end tied up which wasn't really necessary for the story.
March 18, 2025
Two people on a mission to save a city and punish the culprits!
Great read. Super team Axe and Haley are in this story. They had a job to do and had each others back throughout the story. This is a story to keep engulfed start to finish. All other characters were outstanding in theire.
Great read. Super team Axe and Haley are in this story. They had a job to do and had each others back throughout the story. This is a story to keep engulfed start to finish. All other characters were outstanding in theire.
March 30, 2025
Ok, I'm hooked. The plot, action, characters and connection are great! When a young CIA analyst, Haley, find a few crumbs hidden in "not necessarily related" intel, it slams into her gut that a major terrorist attack is about to hit the US. Since the CIA is prevented from operating within the US, a government covert operative, "Axe" Southmark, is tasked with finding evidence of what's going on.
February 20, 2022
Well done
I read often and am constantly looking for new authors and series. It’s typically hit or miss: sometimes very good, sometimes not so much. This book definitely fits into the first category.
I read often and am constantly looking for new authors and series. It’s typically hit or miss: sometimes very good, sometimes not so much. This book definitely fits into the first category.
March 25, 2022
Action packed
Great book. I borrowed it on Kindle unlimited but enjoyed it so much I’m buying the series so I can own it.
The action and the way the key people interact will keep you reading until the end.
Great book. I borrowed it on Kindle unlimited but enjoyed it so much I’m buying the series so I can own it.
The action and the way the key people interact will keep you reading until the end.
April 19, 2022
good read
Good book, lots,of action and interesting characters. The protagonist is a Superman, but otherwise believable…good light reading. It’ll be interesting to see how the author develops the main characters in subsequent books
Good book, lots,of action and interesting characters. The protagonist is a Superman, but otherwise believable…good light reading. It’ll be interesting to see how the author develops the main characters in subsequent books
Displaying 1 - 30 of 158 reviews