Al Pessin Books In Order

Publication Order of Task Force Epsilon Books

Al Pessin is a published author of fiction.

He previously worked as a foreign correspondent. His journalism career spans nearly forty years and he’s spent over fifteen years working overseas. Sandblast is his first novel, inspired by his experience working for the Pentagon press corps in 2005 to 2011. This time included going to Afghanistan several times, visiting Kabul headquarters and other operating bases. He would go to many other locations, including Pakistan, Iraq, Guantanamo Bay, and more.

He has also been to London, Jerusalem, Beijing, Islamabad, and Hong Kong. He has worked as a correspondent in the United States as well, in New York, the Pentagon, and the White House. He was working in China in 1989 but was expelled from the country thanks to coverage of the Tiananmen Massacre that the government there called illegal news gathering that was contributing to rebellion. He would receive the NAGC’s Communicator of the Year Award as well as the International Radio Festivals of New York’s Gold Medal that same year.

Al has covered a multitude of other stories in Asia. These include China-Soviet rapprochement, the Philippine revolution, Tibetan unrest, and Thailand’s Cambodian refugees. He has also covered topics in the Middle East, including efforts at peace on the behalf of Israel and Palestine, Yitzhak Rabin’s assassination, Benjamin Netanyahu’s rise, and eastern Turkey’s Kurdish nationalism rise.

Later he would come back to the region to report on Cairo and Tripoli’s Arab Spring as well as Lebanon’s experience of the fallout coming from its Syrian Civil War. He also covered the revolution in Ukraine as well as Eastern Ukraine’s invasion sponsored by the Russians and the economic crisis in Europe as well as its nuclear negotiations being held with Iran.

Al has been employed for his whole career by Voice of America, something that is rare in his field. The VOA gave him the chance to devote his career nearly entirely to the coverage of international news. He has also worked a decade as a news manager and senior editor. Pessin also served as the VOA’s executive producer of their first live radio and television simulcast covering presidential debates as well as election night in the year 2000.

For five years, he served as an adjunct instructor as part of the Washington Program for the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern, also Pessin’s alma mater. He instructed on national security journalism in a graduate course. He has also spoken at Standford and Harvard on China Panels and has given a seminar at the University of Virginia on national security challenges facing the United States in the twenty-first century in 2010.

Al has also served as a member of the Foreign Service Journal’s editorial board for a few years. His work has been published everywhere from thehill.com to the Los Angeles Times, politico.com, and DefenseOne.com. He also earlier had his articles published in The Gannett Center Journal, the Northwestern Alumni Magazine, Medill Magazine, and The Quill.

Al also composed a two act play titled Murder at the Butcher’s. It premiered in November of 2019 and enjoyed four performances that were completely sold out during its initial run.

The author is married to his wife, Audrey. The reside together in Florida.

Al Pessin is the creator and the author of the Task Force Epsilon series. This fictional series of novels started with the publication of the debut novel, Sandblast. Kensington Publishing Corp. published the book in 2020. It made the shortlist for the Bosque Fiction Award in addition to being a top five pick in the Royal Palm Literary Awards. The second novel in the series is titled Blowback and picks up where the first novel left off.

Sandblast is the first novel in the Task Force Epsilon series by Pessin. If you are a fan of Lee Child or Vince Flynn or just any action novel, then be sure to check out this debut that is full of realistic details and experience from an author who’s been there.

The main character in this story is Lieutenant Faraz Abdallah. He was raised in California and has a deep duty to his country. The Afghan-American is willing to do what it takes when it comes to his patriotism to the United States. But this mission may just take him somewhere where few ever make it back alive– and if they do, not the same way.

When a plane is blown up that was carrying the U.S.’s Secretary of Defense, Operation: Sandblast is green lit by the Defense Intelligence Agency. Now Bridget Davenport, runner of the Covert Ops at the Pentagon, has to find someone that’s going to be able to get into the Taliban’s inner circle and reach a mastermind so that they can stop their plans for a terrorist attack.

Bridget finds the right person in Faraz. He has the correct heritage combined with top of the line military training that together will make him an ideal candidate to go undercover as an agent. The only problem is that no one’s sure whether he’s up for it and can complete the mission or not. After all, Faraz must be able to fool top leaders in the Taliban and pose as a terrorist while working secretly for the U.S.

While Bridget believes he is capable of it, this is still a tough mission. Meanwhile, she’s got to work over time to keep the higher ups from canceling the mission. Can Faraz pull off the mission? Or will he be stranded when support for the mission disappears? Find out by reading the thrilling first novel in this series!

Blowback is the second novel in the Task Force Epsilon series. When a number of explosions hit major cities Washington, Paris, and London, the amount of casualties is sky high. Thousands are dead, and the President instructs his agencies to come back with all that they’ve got in Operation Blowback.

Bridget Davenport was close when the attacks happened. A jihadist named Al-Souri claims that he is responsible. He has a past of consolidating extremists in Syria and wants to start a war on the West, establishing his rule at the same time.

Bridget needs Faraz Abdallah to infiltrate his forces. He’s still fresh from the last mission, but he’s the only one right for it. Can he do it before another attack is launched? Read Blowback to find out!