Audiobook Review: The Instructor by T.R. Hendricks

 

The Instructor (Derek Harrington #1) by T.R. Hendricks

Publication Date: April 11th 2023 by Macmillan Audio

Pages: 320

Audio Book Length: 9hrs 45min

Narrator: Jay Snyder

Source: Publisher

Rating: ★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

Former Marine, Derek Harrington, is getting by but at a low point in his life, separated from his wife and son after PTSD and anger issues came between them. Now he’s working on getting them back, seeing a therapist and teaching wilderness survival courses. He’s approached by what appears to be an extremist anti-government group to teach their men to deal with threats and aggression for a hefty amount of money. His alarm bells go off and so Derek initially refuses the offer. Just to be on the safe side Derek tells an FBI buddy his concerns and that buddy has a proposal of his own. Go back and agree to train this group and find out if they’re something the FBI needs to worry about.

The training methods Derek uses sounded harrowing, and if that’s what marines actually go through my heart goes out to them! I guess it would be necessary when going up against the monsters out there in the world.

The Instructor was action-packed, gripping and suspenseful! I was worried for Derek. He was up against some formidable foes, but he was clever, resourceful, and determined! Kind of like a Jason Bourne character! I’ve backpacked and camped in the past and found the survival techniques mentioned interesting and useful.  The story wraps up mostly, but there were threads left open for more stories to come. I look forward to the next one!

I listened to the audio version of the story. Jay Snyder had a deep, masculine voice that I thought was perfect for Derek. He performed the female voices well, too. I definitely recommend the story and the audio version! I listened at my usual 1.5x normal speed.

4 Stars

Book Description:

Dive into The Instructor , former Army intelligence officer T. R. Hendricks' fast paced, action-packed debut thriller that's Jack Reacher meets Survivorman , the first novel in the Derek Harrington series!

“Packed with action, tension, and humanity, The Instructor delivers.”
—Mark Greaney, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Burner , a Gray Man Novel

Derek Harrington, retired Marine Force Recon and SERE instructor, is barely scraping by teaching the basics of wilderness survival. His fledgling bushcraft school is on the cusp of going out of business and expenses are piling up fast. His only true mission these days? To get his ailing father into a full care facility and to support his ex-wife and their son.

When one of his students presents him with an opportunity too good to be true—$20,000 to instruct a private group for 30 days in upstate New York—Derek reluctantly takes the job, despite his reservations about the group's insistence on anonymity. But it isn't long before the training takes an unexpected turn—and a new offer is made.

Reaching out to an FBI contact to sound his concerns, Derek soon finds himself in deep cover, deep in the woods, embroiled with a fringe group led by a charismatic leader who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. When what he wants becomes Derek's head, the teacher is pitted against his students as Derek races against time to stop what could very well be the first attack by the domestic terrorist cell.