Valiant Eagle
About this ebook
John David Stock is a realist. To his students at Stanford University, he is an intellectual associate professor with a Ph.D. in Political Science. But to the President of the United States, Stock is something else entirely: the premier field operator for Compass Point International (CPI), a world-class private security firm that serves as the White House's ultimate black ops solution. When the risk of global war becomes too high for conventional forces, the President calls CPI.
From executing a high-stakes hostage rescue against a murderous Colombian drug cartel in Costa Rica to operating deep in the shadows of Moscow alongside Russia's elite Spetsnaz, Stock lives in a world where survival is calculated in split seconds.
But a new, unprecedented threat is brewing. An aggressive, ascending China is rapidly modernizing its nuclear triad, pushing a massive military footprint into the untapped wealth of the Arctic, and preparing a severe cross-strait crisis that could swallow Taiwan alive. With the world on the brink of an AI-driven, hyper-readiness nuclear nightmare, the President hands Stock and the CPI team the ball in the final minute of the game.
Codenamed Operation Valiant Eagle, Stock, his brilliant intelligence analyst Marcie Beck, and a brotherhood of battle-hardened Spec Ops operators forge a secret alliance with Taiwan's elite "Night Hawks" special forces. Their target: the most heavily guarded, deeply buried nuclear facilities on mainland China.
Their mission is a masterclass in high-stakes sabotage, executed under a false flag to deflect global retaliation. If they succeed, they defang a lethal adversary and secure the future of the free world. If they fail, they ignite World War Three.
But as Stock crosses the Rubicon into the heart of the beast, he carries only one certainty: Failure is not an option.
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About the author
Writing under this pen name, the author draws directly from an extensive real-world operational background to bring his high-stakes thrillers to life. With an authenticity that can only come from firsthand experience, he places readers at the absolute center of international action.
With over twenty-five years of service in law enforcement, Dr. Ballinger has investigated local, state, federal, and international cases. Over his distinguished career, he served as a Deputy Sheriff, District Attorney Criminal Investigator, U.S. Marshal, and an FBI Violent Fugitive Task Force member. He was also an operational member of the Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF). As a sworn officer and investigator, he specialized in undercover operations and served on the nation's first Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement (SAFE) team—a groundbreaking unit that targeted high-risk predators, yielding over 200 felony arrests in its inaugural year. Throughout his career, his tracking of violent fugitives required seamless coordination across international borders and regular collaboration with various federal intelligence agencies. Today, he continues to operate as a licensed private investigator with global capabilities.
Complementing his operational expertise is a formidable academic foundation. Dr. Ballinger holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Southern California, specializing in Comparative Politics and Latin American Studies, with a doctoral dissertation focusing on Narco-Insurgency. He holds four master's degrees, including a Master of International Management and a Master of Management in Spanish Language from the Garvin School of International Management at Thunderbird, as well as a Master's in Latin American Area Studies from USC.
He is the author of the thrilling Eagle Series, a high-octane saga that unfolds across Descending Eagle, Avenging Eagle, Soaring Eagle, Daring Eagle, Unbridled Eagle, Daunting Eagle, Bloodied Eagle, Valiant Eagle, and the tenth book, Enduring Eagle—with many more action-packed installments to follow.
