Field notes.
Story origins, previews of new work, and things that don't fit neatly anywhere else.
Subscribe via RSS- October 30, 2026
Jesus and God Must Have a Sense of Humor — Faith, Doubt, and Laughter
Sam Martin's newest book finds the joy, irony, and humor woven through faith and everyday life.
Read the file → - October 23, 2026
If Jesus Walked into Church Today — Would He Recognize the Religion We Built Around Him?
Sam Martin asks the uncomfortable question: if Jesus walked in this Sunday, what would He think of what we've built?
Read the file → - October 16, 2026
The JESUS INVESTIGATION — An Intelligence Officer Opens the Oldest Case File
Sam Martin applies a career of weighing sources and evidence to the most consequential life in history.
Read the file → - October 7, 2026
THE JESUS INVESTIGATION — Running the Case File
What happens when an intelligence officer treats the Resurrection as a case?
Read the file → - October 5, 2026
THE COWBOY'S HANDBOOK FOR LIVING — Purpose, Strength, Character
A code to live by, plus the free accountability form.
Read the file → - October 3, 2026
YOUR LIFE, YOUR STORY — Live a Story Worth Remembering
A guided reckoning for the life you are actually living.
Read the file → - October 1, 2026
THE SETUP — How Intelligence Manipulates Perception
The oldest weapon is the story you already believe.
Read the file → - September 29, 2026
BECOME UNBREAKABLE — A Field Manual for the Mind
Hard-won mental discipline, written for civilians.
Read the file → - September 27, 2026
CONVERSATIONS WITH THE CIA COWBOY — Off the Record, On the Porch
Everything he was allowed to say, and a little of what he wasn't.
Read the file → - September 25, 2026
OPERATION SHADOW FREEDOM — The Rescue That Shouldn't Have Worked
A mission that never made the record, told in full.
Read the file → - September 23, 2026
BLACK TALON — The Eighteen Month Crucible
Eighteen months of forging. One instrument at the end of it.
Read the file → - September 21, 2026
ASSESSMENT AND SELECTION — The Test Before the Mission
How the Agency finds the few, told from the inside.
Read the file → - September 19, 2026
THE DEVIL'S TUNNELS — Down Where the Maps End
Book three of the CIA Cowboy series takes the fight underground.
Read the file → - September 17, 2026
BEWARE OF HIS CALM — The Quiet Ones Finish the Job
Book two of the CIA Cowboy series, plus the theme song that carries it.
Read the file → - September 15, 2026
THE GHOST OF PECOS — Where the CIA Cowboy Story Begins
Book one of the CIA Cowboy series: dust, silence, and a man they could never find.
Read the file → - September 15, 2026
HELL UNLEASHED — Beware of His Calm: Book Twelve of the CIA Cowboy Series
The Afghanistan War. A top-secret mission. And the calm that hides the storm. A closer look at HELL UNLEASHED, the twelfth file in the CIA Cowboy series.
Read the file → - July 20, 2026
The Making of the Agency's Most Elite Assets
An author's dedication to the men and women of the CIA who serve without recognition, applause, or public acknowledgment.
Read the file → - July 17, 2026
If You Love Jack Carr, Vince Flynn, or Brad Thor — Read the CIA Cowboy Series
A readalike guide for fans of Jack Carr, Vince Flynn, Brad Thor, and Mark Greaney. Nine books from a writer who lived the work — with a reading order that actually makes sense.
Read the file → - July 16, 2026
Modern Western Thrillers: Where the Frontier Meets the Modern Fight
The best modern western thrillers trade cattle drives for covert operations — dust, silence, and a code that predates any agency. Here's why the CIA Cowboy series belongs on the shelf next to your favorites.
Read the file → - July 14, 2026
The Most Realistic Espionage Movies — A CIA Cowboy Review
Which spy films actually resemble the work? A field-level review of the best espionage movies — Bourne, Zero Dark Thirty, Munich, and more — graded against real intelligence discipline.
Read the file → - July 14, 2026
Welcome to the Dossier
A note from Sam Martin on why the CIA Cowboy stories exist, and what's next.
Read the file →