TITUS BLACK

Full Name:	Titus Black
Nationality:	American
Organization:	Firestorm
Occupation	Agent

Creator:	R. J. Patterson
Time Span:	2018 - 2023

ABOUT THE SERIES

Titus Black is an agent with Firestorm.

Firestorm is a black-ops organization within the U.S. Intelligence community responsible for operating in the shadows to take out those foreign enemies determined to destroy the Western world. It is headed by a powerful senator from Texas named Blunt who provides the funding through appropriations for an unspecified Project Z. Leading this project, codenamed Firestorm, is a military general named Johnson but there is no doubt in anyone's mind that it is Blunt who runs the show.

It is obvious from the facts presented that Black has been an agent for some time and has proven many times over that he can get the job done. It is also obvious that Black loves action and does not mind violence. "If he was going to fight, he preferred the hand-to-hand combat variety" but if it moves to weapons, he is fine with that as well.

Black's history is somewhat shrouded in mystery but two facts come out of some note. One is that Black has major issues with the death in Afghanistan of his father which occurred as a result of a bad operation spearheaded by a man who would later run for President. The other is what sounds like major bad issues with his stepfather, resulting in Black having 'thousands' of reasons to make sure he want to remember him.

Also of interest is a personal issue mentioned early on in the adventures, that of a possible death wish. Seeing an assignment "as a suicide mission was all Black needed to know to sign up. His secret death wish wasn't so secret-and every superior who learned this about Black took advantage of that information. Black liked it that way."

In Firestorm each field agent has a handler watching out for him. In the case of Black, that person is Christina Shields, a woman who takes the flack that Black habitually hands her and gives it back with force. She is someone I would love to know more about.

BOOKS

Number of Books:	22
First Appearance:	2018
Last Appearance:	2023

The author had a successful series of terrfic adventures of an operative named Brady Hawk who worked for the ultra-secret government organization Firestorm as one of its few field agents. As the series progressed Firestorm was disbanded and its founder created a new, private-sector company named the Phoenix Foundation. Hawk went along and continued with essentially the same type of missions.

In #18 of that series, Hawk is introduced to one of the other field agents that Firestorm had: Titus Black. Like Hawk, Black made the transition to the new company and was one of its operatives. As the Hawk series progressed (and continues as of this writing), Black has an almost equal part to the adventures and remains a major figure.

Shortly after the introduction of Black into the Hawk universe, the author penned the first of several adventures of Titus Black from the time he worked under the Firestorm umbrella.

Listed below are the stories that Titus Black takes part, starting with the 'prequel-ish' solo adventures and then followed by the Brady Hawk tales he is a part of. The Hawk stories are so marked.

Note: if the listing order is wrong, I am wholely to blame.


1			Behind Enemy Lines Written by R. J. Patterson Copyright: 2019 Book 1 in the Titus Black series When Titus Black is sent on a rescue mission to recover a pilot left for dead, he comes back with info on a secret organization in the government that no one was supposed to have uncovered. Now he also knows about a threat to the President and must find a way to save him even as that man is wanting him dead.

2			Game Of Shadows Written by R. J. Patterson Copyright: 2019 Book 2 in the Titus Black series The mission that Titus Black has to find a missing scientist in Russia will leave Black wondering how much of the truth he knows about his own department's director, J.D. Blunt.

3			Rogue Commander Written by R. J. Patterson Copyright: 2020 Book 3 in the Titus Black series Three emissaries from the U.S. have been murdered by an assassin known only as The Ghost. It is made the job of Titus Black and Christina Shields to find and destroy this man who has caused so much trouble.

4			Line Of Fire Written by R. J. Patterson Copyright: 2020 Book 4 in the Titus Black series Several member of the American Intelligence community have disappeared around D.C. and foul place is suspected. The CIA is worried there might be a traitor in its ranks so it goes to Firestorm who puts Titus Black on the case.

5			Any Means Necessary Written by R. J. Patterson Copyright: 2018 Book 15 of the Brady Hawk series A dedicated group of North Korean hackers have launched cyber attacks against the US Senate, throwing the political system into a mess. Brady Hawk and team are tasked with stopping the intrusion but in doing so they discover a possible treacherous collusion between a US Admiral and the Chinese government.

6			Vengeance Written by R. J. Patterson Copyright: 2019 Book 16 of the Brady Hawk series Brady Hawk is mourning the killing of his mother and is determined to get vengeance. Doing so will involve using his team against an enemy that is a lot more potent than initially thought.

7			Code Red Written by R. J. Patterson Copyright: 2019 Book 17 of the Brady Hawk series A terror cell is causing considerable trouble and the President has ordered Brady Hawk and the Phoenix Foundation to find the leader and capture him. The problem is the man is a ghost and Hawk has only a short time to pull it off.

8			A Deadly Force Written by R. J. Patterson Copyright: 2019 Book 18 of the Brady Hawk series The conglomerate Obsidian is proving to be as dark as its name implies as Brady Hawk and team investigate it for terrorist ties. What they learn is that a plot exists that would mean death to millions.

9			Divide And Conquer Written by R. J. Patterson Copyright: 2019 Book 19 of the Brady Hawk series Falcon Sinclair is a billionaire admired for his business acumen and for his push to get into the space race. No one suspects his real motives until Brady Hawk and his team start hearing rumors that make them very nervous.

10			Extreme Measures Written by R. J. Patterson Copyright: 2020 Book 20 of the Brady Hawk series The most dangerous terrorist organization in the world has suddenly gone completely silent. Knowing that has to mean something big about to happen, the Phoenix Foundation sends Brady Hawk and company into action.

11			Blowback Written by R. J. Patterson Copyright: 2020 Book 5 in the Titus Black series Several member of the American intelligence community have disappeared. The CIA wants answers but worries about trusting its own people. It turns to Firestorm who tasks Titus Black with investigating. What Black learns is a plot to destroy the country.

12			Honorable Lies Written by R. J. Patterson Copyright: 2020 Book 6 in the Titus Black series A terrorist attack on a cruise ship in the Caribbean caused a great deal of suffering. The victims of that attack looked to be random targets. However, someone thinks it was otherwise and Titus Black and the Firestorm team is asked investigate. Doing so will land them in a major global conspiracy to bring an even bigger attack on America.

13			Power Play Written by R. J. Patterson Copyright: 2021 Book 7 in the Titus Black series A computer hacker being held in an underground CIA facility has escaped and Titus Black is assigned to bring him in. As Black tracks him to Russia, he begins to learn that the bigger threat to America comes not from the hacker but from the people the hacker was exposing.

14			State of Conspiracy Written by R. J. Patterson Copyright: 2021 Book 8 in the Titus Black series The disappearance of a high-ranking government official would bring considerable scandal to the White House and the President wants the matter kept quiet while the Firestorm team led by Titus Black look for the missing man. That search will take him into enemy territory.

15			The Patriot Written by R. J. Patterson Copyright: 2021 Book 9 in the Titus Black series The disappearance of a nuclear missile from its silo in Russia was an understandably worrisome problem. Not wanting an international incident, the US sends Titus Black to find and disarm the weapon. His problem will become a harder one when it is learned that the device is in the control of a crazed terrorist and a Russian who wants the return of his country's superpower status.

16			The President's Man Written by R. J. Patterson Copyright: 2022 Book 10 in the Titus Black series When investigators looked into the action of a foreign businessman, certain unsettling details about a close advisor to the President arose. Titus Black and Christian Shields are given the assignment to look more deeply. They will come upon a conspiracy that has been ongoing for many, many years. Now they need to convince the Chief Executive to let them handle things their way.

17			The Haitian Assassin Written by R. J. Patterson Copyright: 2022 Book 11 in the Titus Black series "As Titus Black begins to dismantle the remnants of the deviant Fullgood Initiative, he invites new trouble—and this time it’s personal. Stumbling into a situation that leaves the lives of one of the Phoenix Foundation team members hanging in the balance, Black must figure out a way to stop the man hellbent on removing world leaders who won’t acquiesce to his impossible demands."

18			Codename: Killshot Written by R. J. Patterson Copyright: 2022 Book 12 in the Titus Black series "As Titus Black grapples with one of the secrets from his past, one of the CIA’s best assassins has gone rogue, putting the world’s tenuous peace in jeopardy once he begins his assault on some of the world’s most well-known leaders. Black gets tapped for his most dangerous mission to date, hunting down the man responsible for putting the world on the brink of war."

19			Chaos Theory Written by R. J. Patterson Copyright: 2022 Book 13 in the Titus Black series "Black ops agent and proud patriot Titus Black sees the writing on the wall as the Fullgood Initiative closes in on its goal of launching chaos across the globe. While the ultimate end game remains a thinly-veiled mystery, Black and the Phoenix Foundation team have a shrinking window to pull off the impossible and prevent the greatest vacuum in world leadership in history."

20			House Of Cards Written by R. J. Patterson Copyright: 2023 Book 14 in the Titus Black series "From the ashes of the Fullgood Initiative, an unlikely leader has arisen from within an ancient European power to fill the void. While he has enjoyed operating in the shadows, one mistake jeopardizes his entire operation, placing him in the crosshairs of the U.S.’s most relentless black ops team. As Black and Shields navigate geopolitical landmines, secret societies, and the underbelly of European bureaucracy, they must uncover the identity of the man behind a quiet movement and exhaust every avenue to stop a looming threat to democracy and freedom the world over."

21			False Flag Written by R. J. Patterson Copyright: 2023 Book 15 in the Titus Black series "With the dogs of war clamoring for a new conflict, a brazen abduction of a senior U.S. government official lays the groundwork for a global war. The Phoenix Foundation’s operative Titus Black and Christina Shields are tasked with bringing Bullock home with a near-impossible directive: safely recover him deep behind enemy lines."

22			A Deadly Game Written by R. J. Patterson Copyright: 2023 Book 16 in the Titus Black series "Nearly six months have passed since Fullgood Initiative mastermind Cicely Calhoun escaped from a supermax prison in Colorado, reigniting fears of how she might strike next. And when the Phoenix Foundation receives credible intel, Titus Black and the team piece together a terrifying plot, a plot that will enable Calhoun to implement her dream of a one-world government … with her in control."

MY COMMENTS

I had a hoot with this series, once I figured out the order (if I did). Having met Titus Black in the pages of Brady Hawk adventures when Hawk was a Phoenix Foundation operative and Black turned out to be one as well, I was a tad confused when I grabbed the first of the Black solo stories and he is with Firestorm. 'But Firestorm was no more', I mused to myself. Hmmm.

Black is a similar type of guy to Hawk in that they are both men of action and excitement but Black is, to me, a fair tad darker and more menacing and even though it would be a bad idea to make either man upset at you, I think it would be worse if it were Black.

I enjoy the heck out of the author and both Hawk and Black and hope they both continue - together and separately.

GRADE

My Grade: B+

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