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Sheepdogs
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Overview
"You know Slow Horses--now meet the Sheepdogs." --The Sunday Times (London)Two Misfits. One Mission. Zero Back-Up. - When a high-stakes heist goes wrong, an ex-CIA operative and a special operations pilot find themselves in the middle of a game of espionage and survival as they navigate a treacherous web of deception and shifting loyalties in a globe-spanning, action-packed thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of 2034."Move Sheepdogs to the top of your list "--Jack Carr, #1 New York Times bestselling author"A thriller and comedy in one, it's a wild ride."--Harlan Coben, #1 New York Times bestselling author Skwerl and Cheese are down on their luck. Skwerl, who is resourceful like a squirrel (Marines win battles, not spelling bees), used to work for Ground Branch, the CIA's elite paramilitary wing. He was fired after a raid went bad in Afghanistan. Big Cheese Aziz, a legendary pilot--his country's Maverick--is equally hard up. The fall of Kabul has left him grounded, working the nightshift at a gas station. Skwerl recruits Cheese into an anonymous network of so-called sheepdogs, a band of Robin Hoods who operate in the shadowy space between the sheep and the wolves, protecting prey from predator and earning a buck along the way. Their mission: repossess a private jet stranded on a remote African airfield. Their fee: a commission on the jet's $5 million value. But nothing about this job is adding up. Their contact has gone missing. Their handler is as mysterious as the real source of the money. And when the women in their lives get involved--one pregnant wife and one dominatrix--the stakes skyrocket. Globe-trotting and page-turning, full of heart and humor, Sheepdogs is an adventure through the under-belly of modern war and intelligence
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Details
- ISBN-13: 9780593803851
- ISBN-10: 059380385X
- Publisher: Knopf Publishing Group
- Publish Date: August 2025
- Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.3 inches
- Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
- Page Count: 304
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- 1
In Elliot Ackerman’s espionage thriller, Sheepdogs, there are three types of people: sheep, who make up most of the population; wolves, who prey on the sheep; and sheepdogs, who protect the flock. Jay Manning, aka Skwerl, is a sheepdog. He’s a former Marine and CIA operative who blew up his life when he went on the record about a raid gone bad. Now, he’s being sued by the U.S. government and needs some cash—fast.
A job “repossessing” a private jet seems like just the ticket. Skwerl recruits the help of his old friend Aziz, “The Big Cheese,” an Afghani pilot who is equally disillusioned with the American government after being stranded in Kabul when the U.S. pulled out of Afghanistan. The heist gets complicated almost immediately, and it’s apparent that whatever Skwerl and Cheese are involved in, it’s much larger and more dangerous than either of them expected.
Ackerman’s writing is irreverent and quirky, often focused on the absurd. If Carl Hiaasen wrote spy fiction, this would be it. Skwerl and Cheese operate in a dangerous world, but it’s also one full of colorful characters who sometimes border on the ridiculous. While both protagonists are reluctant heroes, neither is bitter or dark, which keeps the tone of the book surprisingly light.
Spy fiction can often feel dated, given the constantly changing geopolitical climate, but Ackerman tackles events like the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and the war in Ukraine in ways that connect them to his characters’ experiences and personalities. In Skwerl and Cheese’s world, everything is connected to a larger play, and readers will feel like their adventure is coming straight from the headlines.
Fans of double (and triple) crosses will tear through this suspenseful novel. Full of memorable and funny characters, lots of action and bursts of humor, Sheepdogs is the kind of read that has one hoping for a sequel.
In Elliot Ackerman’s espionage thriller, Sheepdogs, there are three types of people: sheep, who make up most of the population; wolves, who prey on the sheep; and sheepdogs, who protect the flock. Jay Manning, aka Skwerl, is a sheepdog. He’s a former Marine and CIA operative who blew up his life when he went on the record about a raid gone bad. Now, he’s being sued by the U.S. government and needs some cash—fast.
A job “repossessing” a private jet seems like just the ticket. Skwerl recruits the help of his old friend Aziz, “The Big Cheese,” an Afghani pilot who is equally disillusioned with the American government after being stranded in Kabul when the U.S. pulled out of Afghanistan. The heist gets complicated almost immediately, and it’s apparent that whatever Skwerl and Cheese are involved in, it’s much larger and more dangerous than either of them expected.
Ackerman’s writing is irreverent and quirky, often focused on the absurd. If Carl Hiaasen wrote spy fiction, this would be it. Skwerl and Cheese operate in a dangerous world, but it’s also one full of colorful characters who sometimes border on the ridiculous. While both protagonists are reluctant heroes, neither is bitter or dark, which keeps the tone of the book surprisingly light.
Spy fiction can often feel dated, given the constantly changing geopolitical climate, but Ackerman tackles events like the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and the war in Ukraine in ways that connect them to his characters’ experiences and personalities. In Skwerl and Cheese’s world, everything is connected to a larger play, and readers will feel like their adventure is coming straight from the headlines.
Fans of double (and triple) crosses will tear through this suspenseful novel. Full of memorable and funny characters, lots of action and bursts of humor, Sheepdogs is the kind of read that has one hoping for a sequel.