I got this because of a friend who said he loved it. Well he was right. I couldnt put it down. Mayer just pulls you in deeper and deeper until you want to know what happens, so you turn every page faster and faster. And let me tell you the end does not disapoint. Pick it up if you can find a copy.

The third novel in the Dave Riley series is suberb. A splendid mixture of a government science project gone wrong, Special Forces operations, the CIA and the army. When genetically enhanced creatures, Synbats, escape from their creators and raise havoc with anyone in their path, Riley's team is assigned to clean up the mess. Terrific plot, great characters, nifty dialog, plenty of explosive action and some really creepy scenes with the creatures lurking in the shadows and sewer tunnels in Chicago. A good blend of action, dialog and comradeship. This would make a great action movie if handled right. Find this series if you enjoy action adventure books with a twist. The books are hard to find in some cases, but they are out there. Check out Mayer's other books, The Gate and The Line (written as Bob McGuire) for more splendid action novels. More Dave Riley.

This is a fast-paced and easy-to-read action thriller with a hint of sci-fi which could well become science fact! Escaped convicts break into a biotechnology lab and unintentionally release two genetically-altered creatures bred to be the ultimate fighting machine. Sounds familiar? Well, this is better than PREDATOR! As the creatures prey on unsuspecting campers, Civil War re-enactors and Special Forces personnel brought in to stop the Synbat(synthetic battle form) creatures, it is up to ongoing hero Dave Riley, a SPECFOR commander, to stop the Synbats. And it seems, they're heading for Chicago . . . This would make a rockin' movie as well!

Maybe not great, great, but still pretty good. I liked his idea of throwing in a fictional storyline into a well documented real-life tragedy. I could truly feel the characters' sense of desperation at being trapped in the one of the largest and the most heavily populated country on earth, with the world's largest standing army doing their best to track them down. Good, classic Mayer

Cut-Out had plenty of action and suspense, as well as many plot twists I simply couldn't have imagined. Once again, Bob Mayer demonstrates that he definetly knows his stuff when it comes to special ops, being a former Green Beret himself. The book was a little on the short side, though, at 238 pages

The fourth Dave Riley book and well worth the wait. This one has Riley assisting a lady friend from the previous book, a Chicago police detective, with a Mob member who goes into the Witness Security Program. Things go wrong as people are murdered, hired killers pursue Riley and company across the wilderness to a terrific climax. No one can be trusted, phones are tapped, ruthless professional hit men and government agents are using all their skills and power to stop the witness and his wife and whoever they are with. Then Riley enters the picture and with his military skills and courage tries to outwit the killers. Great storyline, the plot is filled with turns and corners. Fresh dialog and smooth action scenes propel the reader into this nebulous and dangerous world. Good stuff, Bob. More Dave Riley. I am currenly waiting for Eternity Base and I cannot locate a copy of Z anywhere. Keep up the great work, Robert, the ending to this one sizzles. Also, check out The Line and The Gate (written as Bob McGuire) for more adventures with a twist.

I enjoyed it, devoured it in one night! What can I say? A book simply put and plotted with a natural in-depth touch. The Witness Protection(Security?) Program just made me sick with disgusting taste! Read it, my friends, read all of Mr. Mayer's Riley titled books, you won't be disappointed

I first read Dragon Sim 13 when I was in junior high. It sparked my young, impressionable imagination. It ingrained images of Special Operations into Red China as directed by a computer program. What was only to some a simulation, was life or death to others. Fighting the Communist cause, no names, no faces, no identities period. For anyone who likes military fiction, this book is one of the best.

The second book in the Dave Riley series about Special Forces operations around the world. A really enjoyable read, plenty of suspense, good character developement, a lot of inside info on Green Beret team spirit and their mission planning and fighting ability. A great plot and the fast pace keep the reader guessing until the end. A special ops into China that suddenly goes awry with some cost to the team involved. I sure hope HBO grabs the Riley series and works on them, a sure fire hit for the action fans. Also highly recommended by Mr Mayer (writing as Bob McGuire) are The Line and The Gate. Terrific books. Keep 'em coming, Bob. In fact, I will be loaning the books I have read to a couple of buddies.

Rates right up there with the Five Fingers, Never So Few, Bravo Two Six. This is excellent military fiction that is very realistic.

It seems to me, in this book, that the hero, David Riley had become a little weird and remote. Mr. Mayer seems to remove Riley from the center, and tried to make the heroines occupied more pages instead of giving Riley more opportunities to let us keep loving him. I loved what Riley were in all the former D. Riley Books! And would like to give all of them a high 10, but not this one. It was good,but Riley had become a pitiful, self-reject, a bit eccentric, remote, self-denial person and a supporting actor! I have been in a state of trying to contact Mr. Mayer about this Riley's troubled mind. And wish the next Riley in the Z would become the-return-of-the-native hero as before; a reserved, iron-minded, cool, intelligent, yet warm, gentle and considerate person--a self-made,self-enhanced Man,but not the one in the "Eternity Base" as a somewhat absent-minded, negative, most of the time, even not quite a smart person. I have already translated Mr.Mayer's "DRAGON SIM-13" into Chinese and have published it in Taiwan last year. I enjoyed every moment with Riley and Mr. Mayer, and only wish I could translated all of his Riley titled books(not this one)

"It's clever, plausible plot gives birth to lots of action and suspense." Kansas City Jounral Inquirer. The fifth novel in Bob Mayer's Special Forces series, this book takes a unique look at combat on the 7th Continent, in Antarctica. This title will soon be available once more from Amazon.com only around the middle of September 1998. Also check out the last book in the Riley series: Z.

Eternity Base was an excellant action novel, set in the world's harshest and most remot setting: Antarctica. There's a lot of action, and soome unique twists in the plot. The novel is just as good as the author's first novel, Eyes of the Hammer. One thing would have been nice, though: extending the 287-page book to 300+ pages (but I don't pretend that I could write more than 20 pages of garbage so I won't complain). READ IT!

Military action novels are usually not my cup of tea. To often military writers pad their novels with detail and plot devices that speaks 'never been there, never done that'. Such is not the case with Bob Mayer's 'Eyes of the Hammer'. Highly recommended.

This is a very interesting Special Forces adventure effort written by one who knows. It includes DEA, CIA, Military, covert operations, politics, and drug trafficing. It is all wrapped around interesting and believable characters. A good military adventure story.

Bob Mayer has created a unique series featuring a very real hero in Mr. Dave Riley. The story is well written, with tight descriptions and an active plot, plenty of nefarious villians, twists and turns and enough shoot-'em up action, crips dialog and a lot of heroics. Find this book as well as the rest of the series, they are worth reading. Great treat on a rainy afternoon. I hope HBO picks up the series and does something good with them.

Operation Synbat takes a potentially stupid plot and turns it into a pretty good read. Some adrenaline-pumping moments. Lots of action! With just a bit of tweaking, Operation Synbat would make a great episode of "The X-Files". Once again, Mayer shows us he knows his stuff as an ex-Green Beret. Can't wait till "Z: A Dave Riley Novel" comes out in February.

The premise sounded silly: Green Berets chasing after rampaging biologically engineered life forms. I'm generally not the fan of science fiction, which i thought this might turn out to be. (this book was my introduction to Mayer and the Dave Riley series: I quickly found and read the rest!) By the time the third chapter was over, I was hooked. Only Mayer could lay out a plot thick with government incompetence and amorality competing with the down-to-earth (and tired) sensibility of the protaganist of this series, Dave Riley. Within only a few pages, the believablity of this plot is established, and it becomes a joy to read. Part police-thriller, part Special Forces tale, and almost *NO* unbelievable science fiction! This book should bring Mayer new audiences, and win him some new fans from readers of either genre. The worst part about this book was having to see it come to an end. Leaves you amped and satisfied, yet... very hungry for a sequel! It's the kind of novel that makes you wonder why everyone hasn't turned on to Bob Mayer.

It's a great book that I couldn't put down. It makes you wonder whats really out there. The Ebola is a very deadly virus that has killed many. It makes you wonder what else nature can whip-up.

Given current events in Africa, this thriller is surprisingly accurate. Angola, South Africa, diamond smugglers, mercenaries, are all tied together as American troops go once more into the dark continent on a peacekeeping mission. The action never lets up in this fast paced adventure story. If you like thrillers, try this book.

I found this book took the entire series to a higher level. Fast paced and exciting. I recommend it.

There is a great deal of very good, basic information contained within this book. However, the typographical errors and the use of a repeated phrase over and over were distracting. As an example, on page 133 a sentence reads "My phone calls to his office went go unanswered". That is just one example.

The author also repeatedly tells the reader not to "beat it to death", and then goes on to use that phrase until it has been...sorry...beaten to death.

I found numerous instances where information was given and then in the next chapter, the same information would be repeated, sometimes paraphrased, sometimes not. Even with the information being good to know, reading it once is usually sufficient.

On the whole I did gain knowledge from the book although I now wish I had checked it out at the library instead of purchasing it.

For the new writer or someone who has been at the keyboard for years, this book takes one from the very beginning, the seed of the idea, through writing the book, marketing it, getting published, dealing with agents/editors, and surviving in the strange world of publishing. It reads like a journey as the author wrote it over a decade of writing for a living. Best book I've ever purchased for down to earth, basic instruction.