Chanticleer Book Reviews

Tag: Ralph R. “Rick” Steinke

  • VITAL MISSION: Jake Fortina Series Book 4 by Ralph R. “Rick” Steinke – Military Thriller, Contemporary, War in Ukraine

     

    Vital Mission, the fourth book in Ralph R. “Rick” Steinke’s Major Jake Fortina series, is a military thriller with exceptional heart. It goes beyond combat tactics to explore the traumatizing impact of war on those who wage it.

    Vital Mission confronts the true cost of war, not in headlines, statistics, and maps, but in kitchens, schoolyards, and the private corners of people’s minds.

    The story opens in February 2022 as Russia conducts a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Jake Fortina, a former US Army commander and military attaché living in Italy with his wife and small child, observes the invasion from a distance, Fortina is troubled by old instincts and a sense of helplessness.

    In Mariupol, Ukrainian mother Olena tries to protect her sons from raining shells. When tragedy strikes, the boys are taken in by Russian soldiers participating in a disturbing child-relocation operation dressed up as a “rescue.” From there, readers follow the boys on a journey full of heartbreak and quiet bravery.

    Margarita Romanova, a young Russian field medic with a difficult history, steps into this emotional scene when she’s assigned to care for the displaced children.

    She develops an unexpected connection with Sergiy and Gleb. Through her eyes, readers face the moral conflict of a soldier choosing between duty and compassion. Meanwhile, Jake’s point of view provides a glimpse into the emotional toll of seeing a battle you can no longer fight, yet cannot ignore.

    Vital Mission is brisk and cinematic with frequent shifts of perspective. Its tight pacing constantly engages readers with the narrative while still allowing room to bring in great emotional depth.

    Steinke strikes a masterful mix between urgency and empathy, utilizing simple yet powerful words to draw each scene. Whether in a darkened gym where children whisper into their covers or along a frostbitten tree line where Ukrainian soldiers lie in wait, the language Steinke uses is visceral and immersive.

    The story never feels bloated with complex politics or overly technical military jargon. This lets Steinke’s great strength in his character work shine. He quietly builds layers of emotion, especially around the two boys, without ever slipping into melodrama. There’s a haunting restraint to many of the scenes and a clarity that layers every moment with gravity through the author’s intense voice and emotional precision.

    That deep level of emotional impact is felt most through the desperation the children experience in their captivity. Readers feel the weight of a child’s confusion, desperation, and growing awareness that the world around him might not make sense for a long time—if ever.

    Vital Mission isn’t just a story about war alone. It is also a story about humanity.

    Children are forced to grow up overnight, soldiers question their orders, and love shows up in the unlikeliest places. Readers who are drawn to stories with emotional insight, moral complexity, and real-world relevance will find Ralph R. “Rick” Steinke’s Vital Mission hard to put down—and harder still to forget.

  • JAKE FORTINA And The ROMAN CONSPIRACY by Ralph R. “Rick” Steinke – Global Thriller, Terrorism, International Mystery & Crime,

     

    blue and gold badge recognizing Jake Fortina and the Roman Conspiracy by Ralph R 'Rick' Steinke for winning the 2023 Global Thriller Grand PrizeTalk about a ripped-from-the headlines thriller in Jake Fortina and the Roman Conspiracy!

    In this multinational geopolitical thriller by Ralph R. “Rick” Steinke, a power-crazed Russian oligarch wants to usurp the current Russian dictator to take his place as the head of the government. He forms his own paramilitary force to steal priceless paintings from a Vatican church with plans to resell them for billions to fund his campaign. But why stop there? He also explodes illicit small-scale atomic weapons to further destabilize the Russian leader and cast himself as the country’s new czar.

    Meanwhile, a crazed U.S. right wing military adjutant buys loads of AK-47s from the Italian mafia to arm U.S. paramilitary groups intent on enforcing their own far-right views in America.

    Jake Fortina, an Army foreign area officer with special training to handle international and political-military duties at embassies and in international duties, is on vacation in Italy with his new bride when he runs into an old military chum who pretends he doesn’t recognize Jake and speaks with a Russian accent. That sets off alarm bells for Jake who manages to photograph the man along with his car’s license plate. That information is turned over to his superiors which opens the door to the rogue oligarch’s nefarious plans. He overhears the right-wing U.S. officer launch a drunken tirade against the American “left wing” government while in the company of an Italian military officer with suspicious ties to the Mafia. That leads to investigations of the weapons transfers to the U.S. paramilitary movement and a reported assassination attempt on a U.S. politician.

    Steinke breaks the mold by pairing a thriller with nuclear stakes to a careful and scholarly level of detail.

    From the price of AK-47s on the black market, the history of a fine wine, to a detailed examination of an officer’s dedication to this country, this novel delivers a healthy dose of information, history, and the fabric of being a member of this elite corps of public servants. More of a clear cut story without the murkiness of a John LeCarre. Fortina is part of a world fashioned and lived in the military. Highly educated, loyal to country, with a military life forged in the hills of Afghanistan and at the tables of the world’s finest restaurants in his role as attaché in Rome. Steinke presents a different kind of thriller hero. There is little ambiguity regarding who the good guys are, nor of the clarity of decision-making and the chain of command to which Jake and others ascribe to.

    For readers intrigued by how the real world handles existential threats, including but not limited to roiling Kremlin politics, rogue nuclear weapons in evil hands, and the U.S. paramilitary threat, Jake Fortina and the Roman Conspiracy is an important and intriguing novel.

  • MAJOR JAKE FORTINA And The TIER ONE THREAT by Ralph R. “Rick” Steinke – Terrorism Thriller, International Mystery & Crime, Global Thriller

     

    Why would Iranian terrorists break into a Paris cemetery and steal the bones of an American Jewish WWI veteran? The answer lies in the deadly parallel history of WWI and the Spanish flu, but it’s a mystery that Jake Fortina will have to uncover in Ralph R. “Rick” Steinke’s thriller, Major Jake Fortina and the Tier One Threat. 

    During WWI, the Spanish Flu killed millions of people—some estimates as high as 100 million—but a Jewish nurse tossed off the flu like a cold and continued to serve her country. Iran’s leaders believe the DNA in her bones will let them develop a virus that could kill Americans and Israelis by the millions while simultaneously developing immunity for Iran’s own population.

    This threat drives the story as it reaches deep into multiple countries and their governments, who collectively try to figure out the importance of the bones theft and, ultimately, what to do about it.

    Jake Fortina is an Army foreign area officer, a special position designed to handle international and political-military duties. He’s called to work with an FBI agent in France to track down the terrorists, but must be careful so they can derail the plot and arrest the perpetrators.

    The chase starts in Paris and winds its way eventually to the Italian coast. Jake’s skills are more diplomatic than James Bond as he navigates the complex relationships between multiple governments.

    Even the carrying of a weapon by an American agent into some countries is forbidden unless specifically approved by a government agency. Jake and his fellow officers must swim in these political waters in order to track down the terrorists.

    This novel favors patriotism, professionalism, and process over slam-bang cinematic action. Virtually every aspect of Jake’s actions, his relationships with colleagues, the cooperation of governments—from heads of states to ordinary agency and military officials— is spelled out in detail. Author Steinke paints Jake’s intricate world with undeniable authenticity.

    Readers will enjoy a well-written thriller and come away with a better understanding of how the real world works (or should work) when confronted by an existential threat. It is at once a novel and an education in international diplomacy and coordination, balancing all aspects well.