Where to Start Reading Al Pessin
If you are new to Al Pessin's pulse-pounding espionage and military thrillers, the absolute best place to start is with the first book in his signature trilogy, Sandblast. This novel introduces the central characters of the Task Force Epsilon series and establishes the geopolitical high stakes, complex covert operations, and emotional weight that define Pessin's style.
Because the series follows a continuous narrative arc with evolving relationships and escalating global threats, we strongly recommend reading the trilogy in order. While each book features a self-contained mission, the personal lives of the protagonists and the overarching institutional battles at the Pentagon build directly from one book to the next.
Task Force Epsilon Series in Publication & Chronological Order
The Task Force Epsilon series is straightforward to navigate because its publication order matches its chronological order. You can read the books in the exact order they were released:
- Sandblast (2020) – Introduces Afghan-American Lieutenant Faraz Abdallah as he goes deep undercover within the Taliban to track down a terrorist mastermind, while DIA official Bridget Davenport handles the high-pressure bureaucracy in Washington.
- Blowback (2021) – Follows Faraz Abdallah as he infiltrates a dangerous jihadist network in war-torn Syria to prevent a global attack, while Bridget Davenport navigates the intense political aftermath of a homeland tragedy.
- Shock Wave (2022) – The thrilling conclusion to the trilogy, which takes Task Force Epsilon into the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, where they must foil a catastrophic terrorist conspiracy designed to ignite a full-scale war.
Understanding the Key Characters
The success of the Task Force Epsilon books relies heavily on its two distinct lead characters, whose contrasting roles show both sides of modern intelligence operations:
- Lieutenant Faraz Abdallah: An Afghan-American U.S. Army officer. Because of his heritage, language skills, and courage, he is chosen for the most dangerous deep-cover assignments, operating on the ground in hostile territory. His struggle to balance his loyalty to the United States with his cultural background adds rich emotional depth to the action.
- Bridget Davenport: Faraz's handler and a senior official at the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) in Washington. Bridget represents the administrative and political side of espionage, fighting bureaucratic battles at the Pentagon and White House to keep her operative alive and the mission on track.
Standalone Political Thriller: Body Man
Aside from his military trilogy, Al Pessin has written a standalone political and psychological thriller titled Body Man, published on April 21, 2026. This book is not connected to Task Force Epsilon and can be read completely independently.
Set against the backdrop of a deeply polarized American political landscape, Body Man follows two main characters whose paths collide:
- Spencer: A dedicated political aide (the "body man") to an ambitious senator who ultimately rises to the presidency.
- Carl: A traumatized former Marine sniper who is drawn into an extremist anti-government movement.
While different in focus from Task Force Epsilon, Body Man retains Pessin's trademark realism, shifting the focus from international battlefields to the internal tensions of domestic politics and personal loyalty.
Al Pessin's Award-Winning Farce: Murder at the Butcher's
In a surprising departure from his tense thrillers, Al Pessin is also a playwright. He wrote the two-act comedic farce Murder at the Butcher's, which premiered at the Willow Theatre in Boca Raton, Florida, in 2019. The play centers on a Brooklyn butcher who finds a dead body in his walk-in refrigerator and attempts to hide it, triggering a chaotic series of misunderstandings. The production won the Dahris Clair Award for best play at the 2019 Royal Palm Literary Awards. While not a novel, it highlights Pessin's versatility as a writer.
What to Know Before You Start
What sets Al Pessin apart from many other thriller writers is the authentic detail he brings to his pages. Pessin spent 39 years as a foreign correspondent for Voice of America, covering conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, reporting from major hotspots like Jerusalem, Hong Kong, and Beijing, and spending six years in the Pentagon press corps. He was even expelled from China in 1989 for his reporting on the Tiananmen Square Massacre.
His firsthand understanding of military command structures, field operations, and political maneuvering is evident in the realistic tradecraft and complex moral dilemmas faced by his characters. When you read Al Pessin, you are getting thrillers informed by decades of real-world reporting.