The Mongoose Crew


Fiction - Crime
80 Pages
Reviewed on 04/18/2022
Buy on Amazon

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Michael Froilan for Readers' Favorite

The Mongoose Crew is a suspenseful novel penned by the eloquent author Marcus F. Fair. It is cleverly written in a first-person narrative through the eyes of an ex-soldier, Mickey Frank. After leaving the army twelve years prior and now living a quiet married life, a dark past from his hostile deployment in Somalia catches up to him and his old unit, which eventually brings them back together but for a haunting purpose.

The Mongoose Crew is the embodiment of the phrase "the fewer, the better." A succinct book, it is packed with grit, thrills, and ingenuity. This dynamite book does contain a smidge of profanity and various graphic scenes. Nonetheless, there's no denying that Fair is a knowledgeable and nifty author. Devising a concise novel that balances mystery and action is no easy feat, and Fair seemingly defies expectations by maximizing the bare minimum. I admire the way he masterfully builds up and pieces the story together, including chapters describing each main character's personal history without diluting the narrative.

I absorbed this captivating book and its transfixing words in one sitting more than once. I could picture an action movie being produced based on this enticing novel one day! The Mongoose Crew is first-rate. Marcus F. Fair goes over the top and leaves no stone unturned. I anticipate more of his work! I definitely recommend this book for anybody looking for an engaging and striking read that doesn't accentuate any fluff. Prodigious and solid, The Mongoose Crew is a winner.

Natalie Soine

The Mongoose Crew included Sergeant Thompson, Corporal Jimmy Ortega, Specialist Morales, Specialist Tommy Cutler, and Specialist Mickey Frank. US forces were in Mogadishu to save the lives of innocent Somalis in the midst of a civil war between General Mohamed Farrah Aidid’s forces and other clans. Lieutenant Ambrose of the CID is investigating a chain of heinous crimes that occurred in Mogadishu during the fall of 1993 and thereafter. After being questioned, Mickey and Jimmy reunite with Thompson, Morales, and Cutler to discuss the case and share whatever information each of them has available. The Mongoose Crew had no idea what was coming their way. Lt. Ambrose would lift the lid on the worst crime spree of his career and would need all the help he could get to hunt down the perpetrators.

In his book The Mongoose Crew, author Marcus F. Fair helps us to realize how precious life is. This suspense-filled thriller is a real page-turner from beginning to end. The characters of The Mongoose Crew are all well-defined and come to life in the story. Each location and event is vividly described, making it easy for the reader to form a mental picture of the crime scenes. The story is smooth flowing and interesting, filled with surprising twists and turns along the way. I enjoyed Marcus F. Fair’s writing style, fast-paced and succinct, making for a jam-packed quick read. All-round, an exceptional story, well thought out, and highly recommended to adults only as some scenes are age-restricted.

Deepak Menon

Right from the outset, The Mongoose Crew by Marcus F. Fair, in a seemingly short narration of events, delivers intermittent punches to the reader. The genesis of the story lies in 1993-94, when the Chief Protagonist, Specialist Frank, his friends Sgt. Thompson, Corporal Ortega, Specialist Morales, and Specialist Cutler, all US Army Marines, are posted in Somalia, East Africa. They have nicknamed their team 'The Mongoose Crew', and are part of a US humanitarian mission to save the lives of innocent Somalians in the midst of a civil war. In November of 1994, CNN reports that the mutilated bodies of young women are being washed up on the shores of Mogadishu. All the victims are either grown women or underage Somali girls. Some bodies are missing limbs, some are decapitated, and all were sexually assaulted before being killed. Since the murders have nothing to do with the army, they are ignored and the evil is left behind when the US Army withdraws from Somalia. However sometimes evil can follow people even across the oceans.

Everyone has secrets, and so have all the Marines in The Mongoose Crew. Frank, now 45 and long out of the US Marines, is married and living happily with his wife and their twin daughters when he is visited by a CID Officer, Lt. Ambrose, who questions him about the period when he was in Somalia. Frank reveals nothing and sends Lt Ambrose packing. He goes to a payphone and secretly calls his Mongoose Crewmate, Jimmy and they meet in Dallas. From this point, the story takes off like an express train. Secrets spill out. Marcus F. Fair builds up the tension, page by page, to a horrific finale, that leaves any reader trembling in a kaleidoscope of emotion. The development of the book is excellent, and the protagonists are powerful and memorable, for good or bad. I would say that this is a riveting book and is recommended.