Sheepdogs - Elliot Ackerman

Sheepdogs

ByElliot Ackerman

  • Release Date: 2025-08-05
  • Genre: Mysteries & Thrillers
Score: 4
4
From 86 Ratings

Description


“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

Reviews

  • Dark humor meets the shadow wars of our time.

    5
    By Callsign Mighty
    “War is a racket,” Smedley Butler warned. Ackerman picks up that thread and runs it through a caper that is equal parts spy craft, moral hangover, and deadpan comedy. Skwerl, an ex–paramilitary officer with a busted career, teams up with “Big Cheese” Aziz, an Afghan pilot working nights at a gas station. Their job sounds simple. Repossess a luxury jet from a remote airfield and ferry it to Marseille for a fat fee. Nothing about it is simple.

    What begins as a heist becomes a tour through America’s off-the-books wars. The shadow network that hires them, the Office culture of aliases and nicknames, and the four names every operator carries show how identities blur when the mission never really ends. As Skwerl and Cheese move from Kampala to the Riviera, they meet handlers who lie, friends who disappear, and enemies who sometimes look like clients. A dominatrix girlfriend, a grizzly, and a cache of Marie Antoinette plates keep the tone sharp and surprisingly funny, but the joke is never cheap. The laughs sit next to grief, debt, and loyalty.

    Ackerman’s dialogue is tight, the set pieces hum, and the details feel lived in. The book asks what happens to the “indig” forces and veterans once the headlines move on. It also pokes at the sheep, wolves, and sheepdogs story. Who is protecting whom, and at what cost. By the time payroll, proxy armies, and a missing jet collide, the question is not how to get out clean. It is whether anyone in this world ever does.

    Fast, clever, and uncomfortably honest, Sheepdogs is a caper with a conscience. It entertains, then it lingers.

    -SemperRead
  • Entertaining but confusing

    3
    By WGCJr
    Some entertain parts. Complex story. Bad ending.
  • Sheepdogs

    5
    By Tontobubba Goldstien.
    Great book. A fun read.

About "Sheepdogs"

Explore Sheepdogs by Elliot Ackerman on eBooksStore by Arnlweb. Discover book details, reader ratings, reviews, release information, genres, and related digital books available through the iTunes Store.

This book is part of our growing collection of bestselling eBooks, popular digital reading materials, and trending author releases. Readers can explore similar books, discover new authors, and browse related genres including fiction, romance, mystery, fantasy, business, self-help, educational books, and more.

Our platform helps readers discover highly rated digital books optimized for smartphones, tablets, laptops, and desktop devices. Browse fast-loading book pages, reader reviews, and popular recommendations from bestselling authors worldwide.

Why Readers Explore This Book

  • Detailed book information
  • Reader ratings and reviews
  • Popular author collections
  • Related digital books
  • Mobile-friendly reading discovery
  • Fast-loading book pages
  • Trending eBook recommendations

Popular Reading Categories

  • Fiction & Literature
  • Business & Finance
  • Romance & Drama
  • Mystery & Thriller
  • Fantasy & Adventure
  • Educational eBooks
  • Self-Help & Motivation