Title: Badge, Bullets, and Blood
Author: Henry (Hank) J. Silva
Publisher: ReadersMagnet, LLC
ISBN: 9781958030691
Pages: 358
Genre: Crime Fiction
Reviewed by: Rae Capri

Read Book Review

Every day in the political world, there are always countries with individuals targeting Americans to ensure their message is heard loud and clear. Terrorist acts against other countries for power seem to be the end all, and be found everywhere around the world. Unfortunately, this could easily alter the perspectives of the countrymen, and classify groups of people as a threat to the lands and their people. Our countries are to be protected at all times from the potential risks and dangers of terrorists. No one can afford to experience any more attacks on a national scale, that is why we have the best of the best working in all fields to ensure the safety of its people. We do not condone nor prohibit any groups of people who seek some form of vengeance or weak spots to carry out their malicious plans. It is respected and appreciated that the lives of our protectors, both men and women, are praised for their constant sacrifice.

In Badge, Bullets, and Blood, author Henry J. Silva introduces his audience to multiple police officers, task force members, detectives, and terrorist members of the Jihadists. There was knowledge that an attempted assassination hit was placed on the head of Detective Bobby Olivares, the son of a retiree from the police force, John Olivares. Bobby was doing his investigative work, retained secretive information about the Jihadists, learned about his hit, and immediately informed his father. Since John is a well-respected retired member of law enforcement, he was able to use his connections to ensure the protection and safety of his son. Ibramim Bin Alwada and his co-conspirator Ahmad Izz-Al Din were determined to win their Middle Eastern boss’ favor by getting rid of Detective Bobby and recovering the marijuana money they lost in Hawaii. Witnessing a protective father wanting nothing more than to end the very lives which threatened his son, is a proud moment. Consulting with his associates, John does his absolute best to devise the perfect plan which would enable him to take out the two men as soon as they disembark their private airplane. Taking matters into your own hands might not seem like the best strategy, but usually, you know you’ll succeed versus being dependent on others to handle it for you. Stepping into the lives of these detectives as they build up cases, gather evidence, be in contact with their informants, and complete thorough investigations are impressive skills.

Amongst having a hit out on Detective Bobby Olivares, there were other threats, taking advantage of American criminal-minded civilians. Lou Perry and Benny Luke were two burglars who specialized in stealing valuable possessions from the residents of their towns. Of these possessions, they manage to steal weapons to sell them off in the black market, specifically to interested Middle Eastern customers willing to pay handsomely. The new mission for the Joint Federal and State Terrorist Task Force, better known as JFSTTF, was a brilliant plan to bait and capture the Middle Easterns for conspiracy actions and potential threats against the United States.

This story was jam-packed with action scenes that began from page one, it kept the momentum and interest for the readers. As you read, you feel like you’re listening and witnessing from different perspectives and learning information that isn’t shared publicly. The goal of ensuring readers understood what it must be like from inside the minds of police, detectives, deputies, and Jihadists was successful. Everyone had a mission to accomplish, the readers were offered front-row seats to the theatrics. Unfortunately, this story could stem from the bare bones of our possible realities. The unawareness of all attacks that weren’t broadcasted could have been due to a reduction of public scare tactics. Either way, I felt that I learned so much more behind the scenes about what the protective members of the U.S. have to deal with daily.

The author has done a phenomenal job at crafting a storyline that reels the reader in from the first line while maintaining the momentum throughout the book. There hasn’t been a dull moment as an observer in figuring out who did what and who would ultimately pay the price of serious jail time. I enjoyed reading this story because the author offered exceptional character development on a minor scale without the overwhelming factor of knowing every character’s backstory. I was surprised by the level of honesty displayed amongst characters going through the motions of life threats, terrorist attacks, corrupted systems, etc., as it added even more levels for you to unfold. I highly recommend this book because it captivates the reader’s attention to crucial information that involves the safety of our nation. This book allows learning more about how threats are handled beyond standard civilian knowledge and could encourage more people to join our forces of reckon.