"A Hymn Before Battle" is the first one, followed by "Gust Front", which is IMHO the best of the lot.  Several more follow, including a couple collaborations.  Hard military SciFi, current day setting.  The Clancy is in the level of military detail and knowledge.  Basically, "What if SciFi came to the earth today and had a war?  In our laps?"  Witty and snarky dialogue, brutal gut clenching events, nobility and sacrifice, and Bun Bun.

Assault team moves as close as they can without being spotted.

When they're in position, snipers who've hung back pot the guards.  Snipers then act as rear security as any unexpected reinforcements that show up would take the assault team like the monkey took the miller's wife.

Team moves in, using whatever equivalent of flash/bangs or stun grenades.  In the future, they can probably fix the hostage's ruptured eardrums.  At least easier than fixing an executed hostage, anyway.

The level and type of tech will really be the deciding factor for how you want your team to perform.  Powered assault zoots?  Can't tell from the outside if they're male or female.  Gender doesn't make a difference when one's driving a few hundred pounds of angry alloy.  Nonpowered armor?  Could still be sealed and self contained, the tech keeping bio/chemical agents out will also keep girlsmell in.

I've got to admit, when a book has nothing but blurbs and praises for the author, it goes back to the shelf unless it's a book by an author I'm already a fan of.  Harry Dresden, Repairman Jack, Miles Vorkosigan, Bob The Nailer?  I'm on those like ugly on an ape even if the book has nothing but soup label ingredients printed on the cover.  Barring those happy few, I want to know at least roughly what the basic premise of a story is before I hand over my hard earned happy joe money bucks.  Too many authors mumble vague praises of other books their publishers are pushing for me to feel a lot of trust.  Now if an author I'm familiar with talks up another author or book on their blog or website, then I'm more willing to place more weight on it.  "A fast paced roller coaster" type statements carry no weight for me, but give me a couple paragraphs where an author I respect actually discusses the book, then I'll give it a whirl.

What I really hate is when the plot synopsis is an utter misrepresentation of the book.  Don't tell me the book is about an ancient horror that's awakened and is stalking the dark alleys when the book is actually focused on a girl was sad and drank a glass of water. 

Unless of course it's ancient evil horrible water that will make her stalk the dark alleyways bringing blood and terror.

He works... I pictured Mac a little older, but I can see Adam Baldwin doing the quiet man you don't want to annoy.  And he's got that "you're really being an idiot" non-expression down pat.

Fixed it for you

Why thank you!   

Now, if somebody up and writes a "Ballad of Payne, The Snarker of Canton", then I shall run quite mad with power.

A brief play could work.  A characture "Famine" dashing about the hall, taking people's food, smacking them as they try to eat, then being mobbed and defeated by the local children who get to be the Whoever credited with vanquishing the famine.  Or seduced by a wiley maiden/youth who "tricks" it.  Or is just hit with sticks until candy falls out.

Yup.  Most people can't be creative when they have to force it.  I can draw and paint quite well, pieces that are photorealistic in style, morbid, creepifying and bleak for reasons nobody can really point out.  But I can't draw a stick figure if I don't have "inspiration."  I can't just sit down and say "I'm going to paint a '5'." and have anything happen.

I'd steer clear.  If I could write.  Our Revered Author really has no choice but to be soggy and hard to light on the issue.  And that would probably make him sad.  I think.  Don't really know the man, mind you.  Just my guess based on general impressions.  Anyway, here's what the Site Gods say on Fanfic:

No fan fiction on the list. Period, end stop. Sorry.

Why? Simple.

Jim can't notice it.

If Jim notices it, he has to call the lawyers on you.

Don't make Jim notice it.

Why would Jim have to call the lawyers? From longtime subscriber Thermopyle, in November 2003:
Most authors operate under a don't ask, don't tell policy. If they acknowledge a fanfic (or fanfiction in general), they're taking a legal risk that the fanfic author could try to sue the author for "stealing" something the fanfic author wrote that happens in a book the author publishes later. This HAS happened...forget to whom, though. Bradley? Somebody like that. It's caused authors like Anne McCaffrey and Feist to go after people that write fanfics for their series. They'll have pages taken down, and go after webarchived mailing lists that have fanfics of their stories listed. So, bad news all around.

http://www.jim-butcher.com/mcanallys/