Unpacking Duty and Honor in Mark Greaney's 'Sentinel'

SENTINEL 

Armored, #2 

by Mark Greaney 

Berkley, 2024 

★★★½✰ 

Josh Duffy lives by a simple code: 

Duty. 

Honor. 

Family. 

But sometimes it's hard to know what order the words go in. 

Josh Duffy and his wife, Nichole, are both working for the State Department. He's in the Bureau of Diplomatic Security, providing protection for diplomats in the field. They and their children have been posted in Ghana, the most stable democracy in West Africa. 

But that stability proves to be fleeting. A Chinese plan to overthrow the Ghanaian government brings Josh face-to-face with a particularly malignant ghost from his past. He knows his duty. His honor requires he fulfill it. But will his family pay the price? 

Dear Readers,

I've noticed a rising trend in military thrillers where the protagonist is always an ex-soldier leading a covert operations team. This familiar blueprint is precisely what Mark Greaney employs in Sentinel, the sequel to his earlier novel Armored. In this installment, we meet Josh Duffy, an everyday husband and father who embodies the virtues of duty, honor, and family, prioritizing these values above all else. Duffy emerges as a remarkably likable character, serving as the linchpin of Sentinel and drawing readers into his personal and moral dilemmas.

As an avid reader, I sometimes find that plots within this genre can become overly convoluted and predictable. The central storyline revolves around a plot by the Chinese to overthrow the Ghanaian government. While this premise isn't entirely far-fetched given current geopolitical tensions, I couldn't shake the feeling that I had encountered variations of this storyline in previous reads. As for the narrative structure, Greaney successfully meets all the necessary criteria; the plot is coherent and unfolds straightforwardly, allowing readers to anticipate developments without feeling lost or confused.

One of Greaney's strengths lies in his command of technical jargon and his keen attention to detail in descriptions, which lend authenticity to the Sentinel. His writing has shown notable improvement with each release, even in those set within the Tom Clancy universe, showcasing his growth as a storyteller. Although Sentinel isn't without its flaws, I found it to be a marked upgrade from Armored, which I still enjoyed despite its wildly improbable storyline.

Overall, Sentinel offers a straightforward yet engaging mercenary tale populated with an intriguing hero, a slew of interesting supporting characters, and an abundance of action-packed scenes. Sentinel is an engaging read that maintains a thrilling pace, but readers should be aware of its limitations in originality and depth. It’s an engaging read. I found it enjoyable, even with its imperfections.

⁓B.J. Burgess

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