The Persian Gulf erupts.

When a U.S. aircraft carrier explodes and sinks off Bahrain, Washington blames Tehran. Hours later, Iranian-backed militants strike the U.S. Navy base in Manama and the Bahraini royal palace. Retaliatory American airstrikes follow, pushing the region toward all-out war.

Friendship Games is a modern take on the USS Maine incident that launched the Spanish-American War in 1898—except this time the spark threatens to ignite a global conflict.

Facing what it believes is an existential threat, Iran unleashes a desperate preemptive blitz: missiles rain down on U.S. bases, and armored columns surge into neighboring states to deny America a foothold for invasion.

Caught in the storm are U.S. Navy SEALs and a young sailor, Thew Bryson, forced into a desperate fight for survival as they flee across borders with Iranian forces closing in. In Washington, Vice President George "Daddy Longlegs" Wartmann maneuvers through a collapsing chain of command, determined to see the fight through while the President hesitates.

From the palaces of the Gulf to the corridors of Washington to soldiers on the ground, Friendship Games is a taut, unflinching geopolitical thriller—where one attack could set the world ablaze.

Reviews

"A profound and thought-provoking thriller examining humankind's self-destructive tendencies."
— Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"A nail-biter from beginning to end. A talented writer, Mr. James paints vivid pictures of characters such as Daddy Longlegs, Vice President of the United States, and Hash Ghavam, an Iranian admiral, in an all too real scenario of World War III ... Author James is skilled in his descriptions of desert warfare ... With non-stop action, this book is hard to put down."
— Military Writers Society of America (Bronze Medal Award) 

"A masterful geo-political thriller… a gripping narrative that spans continents, perspectives, and ideologies."
"A true ensemble piece… forces the reader to contend with the gray areas of modern warfare."
"James' deft balancing act, blending breath-taking combat sequences with the sobering weight of international diplomacy, is truly commendable."
"Captivating and intellectually stimulating, Friendship Games is not to be missed."
— Maincrest Media

"★★★★★ ... Wow! Found Friendship Gameson WFP and it's a top class book. Great editing, great characters, and extremely original plot. I read about 4 or 5 books a month and this is the best in genre I have read in years. Well done! Need more!"
— Anonymous reader on Amazon

"★★★★★ ... Mark James' Friendship Gamesthrusts readers into a potential nuclear confrontation between the US and Iran. This terrifying and thrilling read earns five stars!"
— Chanticleer Reviews

"★★★★★ ... Things were getting worse in Detroit with massive demonstrations and gang wars as the police holed up in the central districts to protect the businesses. At this moment of crisis, an enormous disaster struck the Navy in Bahrain ... Hussein Salmeen had been busily radicalizing desperate youth into martyrs; could he put a leash on his zealous youths even as the orders had been to abort? ... Rear Admiral Hashemi Ghavam could see the folly of the mullahs and the imams beating war drums in Tehran. But what could he do to save his people?Friendship Games by Mark James is not only a meticulously written and entertaining work of political thriller fiction but is also thought-provoking."
— Readers' Favorite