Books.org participates in affiliate programs including Bookshop.org and the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. We may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through links on this page, at no additional cost to you.
Overview
A deadly new weapon hits the international arms market---and the only way to preserve the balance of power in the Mideast is to hijack the Iranian sub that carries it.
United States Navy Commander and Medal of Honor winner Dan Lenson has been handed another outside-the-box assignment. TAG Charlie, an elite team of active-duty sailors, SEALs, and civilian analysts, is tasked to investigate and defuse emerging naval threats around the globe. When the Skhval-K---an unstoppable rocket torpedo designed to destroy U.S. aircraft carriers---is demonstrated at a Moscow arms show, Dan tries to buy one so that the U.S. Navy can build countermeasures. But he’s lucky to escape with his life when he’s set up by Russia’s new counterespionage service.
When the Russians sell the new weapon to Iran and China instead, Dan decides that if he can’t buy it, he’ll steal it. But when a daring nighttime penetration of Iran’s largest naval base goes wrong too, Dan finds himself captaining a submarine he barely knows how to submerge, pursued by Iranian destroyers and sub-hunting aircraft through the shallow, hazardous Persian Gulf.
Authentic action and daring espionage combine in a timely thriller set in a hair-trigger military environment.
Editorials
Publishers Weekly
Poyer's fine military thriller, the 11th in his Dan Lenson series (after Korea Strait), provides what his fans have come to expect-tight structure, plenty of authentic technological detail and a hero who acts like a man rather than a cartoon superhero. When the Russians offer a powerful new rocket torpedo they've developed for sale to the world, the U.S. government sends Cdr. Dan Lenson, U.S.N., to purchase one. After the deal falls apart, Dan attempts to "liberate" one of the new weapons from a container ship headed for China. When that mission goes to hell, he and his team steal an Iranian submarine carrying one of the super torpedoes. From then on, we're submerged deep into Das Boot territory with Dan and his small crew playing cat and mouse with a deadly Iranian frigate. Those who relish naval action won't be able to come up for air until they turn the last page of this nail-biter. (Nov.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Library Journal
This is the latest in Poyer's long-running series headlining the exploits of the often dark and conflicted hero, Navy Commander Dan Lenson. Russia has developed a new, superfast torpedo with a nuclear warhead, and now the Iranians have it. Lenson must lead the same near-dysfunctional group from Korea Strait to get it from them. The group first tries to hijack a freighter they erroneously believe carries the weapon and then has to steal an Iranian sub after an attempt to swipe the torpedo goes awry. There is so much bad planning and petty jealousy that the plot becomes illogical to the point where readers will wonder just how the United States won any wars. Although sometimes exciting, the plot moves slowly, and the tech talk can be overwhelming. In the novel, a frustrated Lenson muses that he has served enough time to retire, and readers will agree. Poyer has written numerous other novels about various topics, including the Civil War, and maybe he, too, should consider something fresh. For larger collections.
—Robert Conroy
From the Publisher
“Those who relish naval action won’t be able to come up for air until they turn the last page of this nail-biter.” —Publishers Weekly