I’ll admit, I was daunted at the number of series set in this universe so this seemed like a good compromise: book 1 of series three. This is great military sci-fi. I really enjoyed the book and am now completely sold on reading all of the books in the previous two series.

This is the 1st book in a new arc in this long running series featuring Admiral Jack Geary and whilst this book can be read as a standalone - reading the previous arc would be of benefit ( there are far too many books previous to this one to start from the 1st book just to get an idea of the characters and the worldbuilding .

Following the defeat of the AI fleet and base Jack has proceeded to Unity to present his evidence of Government and Fleet Command involvement of treason to the Alliance .
From the start there are those who would try to keep that evidence from being presented , and even go as far as trying to assassinate Jack , not just once but twice .
Those who would protect him whilst the Senate deliberate the evidence , set him up with new orders direct from the Senate itself , bypassing Fleet Command - those orders are twofold - escort a diplomatic and scientific mission to Midway , across dangerous , disintegrating Syndicate space , followed by escorting a diplomatic ship to their Alien allies(??) home base .
The mission is fraught from the start - just who can they trust ? there are those who fear the Alien allies so much that they would do anything to kill the mission . Even the defeated former Syndicate officials are determined to make things as difficult as possible , setting dangerous traps along the way .

This is a brilliant character driven series which never disappoints the reader - fast paced , full of space battles where lives are in the balance , traitors around every corner - what more can a reader ask for ????
I await the next in series with bated breath .

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.