Review: THE HUNTED, by Dave Zeltserman

When Dan Willis finds himself out of work, his sales job eliminated, he's like millions of other Americans - a decent person victimized by the country's steadily-rising unemployment rate.

But Dan Willis has skills unlike most other Americans. A veteran of three tours of duty in Iraq during the first Gulf War, Dan jumps at the opportunity for steady employment when offered a position within the brand-new, highly secretive Homeland Protection department.

Dan learns America is locked in a war against an insurgency unlike any other in history, a life-and-death struggle being fought daily against literally thousands of enemy combatants right here in the USA. After undergoing intensive training, Dan is unleashed into the fray, receiving his assignments from an anonymous Internet bulletin board and terminating enemy combatants.

But along the way, Dan begins to get the uneasy feeling that perhaps something is not quite right. He begins researching these enemies before eliminating them, discovering that in virtually every case, they seem just like him - normal, everyday people with little or no evidence of being enemy combatants in some shadowy insurgency.

Dan confronts his bosses, discovering a horrifying conspiracy on a massive scale. He knows his life will never be the same, but knows also he can't simply turn and walk away. Something must be done. And he's going to do it.

THE HUNTED is a quick read, the first in a planned series of HUNTED novellas serializing Dan Willis's quest. Will he be able to get to the bottom of this conspiracy? I have no idea, but I hope it takes him a while - I want to follow along.

By the way, if you hurry, you can get this first installment - currently the #1 Hardboiled Mystery in the Free Kindle Store, #43 overall, FREE for your Kindle...