The Lions of Mercer

Some stories are written for entertainment. Others are written because the authors know that the world is broken in very specific ways. The Lions of Mercer comes from that second place.

It isn’t a superhero story, and it isn’t a power fantasy. I wanted to write a modern thriller rooted in consequence, moral gravity, and the uncomfortable reality of evil in our society.

If The Lions of Mercer turned out to be just another action-thriller, I would have considered it a miserable failure. It had to be more, and I believe that it is—by the grace of God.

What’s the Book About?

Shocked by the impending fall of Kabul, Micah Mercer pulls whatever strings he has left to get to Afghanistan to extract his former Ranger platoon interpreter and his family. But when a rogue paramilitary organization abducts Altair’s daughter, Mercer won’t stop until he finds her and puts down those responsible.

But there is something far more sinister at play. Mercer learns this is not a random kidnapping and that Aya is one of many Pashtun girls taken to satisfy the perverse delight of the international elite.

From Taliban-infested Kabul to a private island in the Caribbean, Mercer must wage a war no one will acknowledge to be the savior Aya desperately needs. As the stakes climb higher and higher, Mercer fights not only for Aya’s future, but for his own.

They took the wrong girl. Now Mercer is coming for blood.

The Warrior Poet Thread

Micah Mercer isn’t driven by rage alone. He’s driven by responsibility, and that distinction is important.

The Warrior Poet isn’t someone who loves violence. He’s someone who understands that violence is sometimes the price of protecting the innocent. Mercer doesn’t fight because it feels good. He fights because he’s compelled by Providence and his personal convictions to do the right thing, to make the hard calls to save those who are unable to save themselves.

That tension—between compassion and brutality, restraint and resolve—runs through every page of this story.

Why I Wanted to Write It

I wanted to write this book because there are still lions in the world: disciplined, dangerous men who choose to stand between evil and the defenseless—often at great personal cost, and almost always without recognition. Sometimes, its worse.

Sometimes, they’re spat upon, rejected, and hated. We live in a time that increasingly treats those men as unnecessary, outdated, or dangerous in the wrong way. The Lions of Mercer argues the opposite.

When institutions fail and systems break down, society will continue to depend on individuals who are strong, capable, and morally anchored enough to act when others freeze.

I also wanted to honor and immortalize my dear friend, Eric Mercer, as the protagonist of his book. He was a fellow veteran and firefighter who is no longer with us, and I miss him greatly. Seeing him come alive in the pages of this book was a great joy to me.

What I Hope the Book Leaves You With

Yes, this is a story about action, but it’s also a story about aftermath.

It asks questions that should plague us Warrior Poets:

• What do you owe the people you once fought beside?
• Are you willing to fight for more? Your faith? Your marriage? Your family?
• And what kind of man are you willing to become when the innocent have no one else?

Those questions shouldn’t stay on the page; they should follow you. Answering them should be a bit agonizing on account of the evil arrayed against us and the stakes of acting. As part of this tribe, I know that when the moment arises, you will choose well and fight well.

This not a call to arms, but a call to always do the right thing, regardless of the size or weight of the moment. Whether its giving to organizations to fight against human trafficking or breaching the room to rescue them firsthand—and everything in between and beyond—do good.

Remember, Train Hard. Train Smart. And be ready to answer the call when others look away or worse…try to justify it.

If you'd like to run alongside the Lions of Mercer, you can pick up an autographed copy here.