The Dark Time by Nick Petrie

Published by G.P. Putnam's Sons on March 10, 2026

Peter Ash is the tough guy in this tough guy thriller series. Having served as a Recon Marine in combat zones, he has the usual tough guy credentials. When the series began, his PTSD was so intense that he risked a panic attack if he slept indoors (or even ventured inside a building). An “Oregon shrink” taught him some coping mechanisms. Now he’s in a relationship with June Cassidy, a veteran reporter.

June has a older friend, also a journalist, named KT Thorsen. KT received a note instructing her to stop her investigations and threatening to kill her and her daughter Eleanor. The note also says “We are watching. We are Legion.” KT is working on several investigations and doesn’t know which one prompted the threat. KT takes a photo of the note and sends it to June, who promptly asks her to share her cellphone location and promises to have Ash check up on her.

Ash arrives just in time to save KT when she is attacked by a gunman. He takes KT and Eleanor to a cheap motel, but another gunman — this one a bit more professional — tracks them down. He kills KT but Ash manages to save Eleanor.

Ash isn’t adept at interacting with 13-year-old girls, but Eleanor refuses to leave his side. Ash believes she is still in danger and doesn’t want to leave her with a social worker, so he takes her to stay with his friend Manny Martinez and his wife and kids. Manny was one of Peter’s platoon sergeants in Iraq and is a tough guy on his own merit.

Ash enlists the help of another buddy, a former criminal and current tough guy named Lewis. When Lewis takes Ash on a trip to purchase some unregistered weapons, trouble breaks out, giving Ash and Lewis a chance to show off their combat skills. The black market weapons supplier has been making armor-piercing ammunition, a task that requires more sophisticated equipment than northwestern hillbillies should be able to buy.

Naturally, the bad guys will track down Eleanor. They kidnap her along with Manny’s wife. Much of the story focuses on June's attempts to locate the place where the kidnappers have stashed them, as well as the nick-of-time heroics of Ash, Manny, Lenny, and a security guard who joins forces with them to save the world.

The novel’s mysteries are the nature of the story KT was investigating, the identity of the principal bad guy, and the evil deed the bad guy intends to unleash. Without revealing anything significant, it is fair to say that the evil deed involves an attempt to accelerate the biblical “end times.” The principle bad guy turns out to be something of a cult leader. Ash discovers a link between that plot and the armor piercing shells that the hillbillies were manufacturing.

I had difficulty buying into the bad guys’ ability to orchestrate their planned societal collapse by their chosen means. While far-fetched, the plot is no more outlandish than is typical for a modern action thriller.

Propelled by strong action scenes, the story moves quickly. Eleanor’s snark adds some comic relief while her mother’s death contributes emotional weight to the story.

Because of his struggle with PTSD, Ash has a bit more personality than is typical of a tough guy protagonist. He is extremely capable but doesn’t perform the superheroic deeds of tough guy heroes who defeat twenty thugs in a shootout. I always appreciate tough guy action heroes who don’t act like The Batman without a cape and cowl.

No Peter Ash novel has disappointed me, although some have had more credible (and thus more entertaining) plots than The Dark Time. Given that believable plots have become optional for modern action thrillers, I recommend the novel for Nick Petrie’s ability to craft convincing characters and strong action scenes.

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