Stealthy, Deniable and Dangerous BUT Non-Lethal... Until You Bite (Shadows of Steel - Dale Brown)

Member Name: SteveMason77

Product:	Shadows of Steel - Dale Brown
Date:	15/03/06 (188 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Easy to get into & forget where you are

Disadvantages: Too Short and Too Technical for Some

Shadows of Steel

This is the 9th Novel by Dale Brown.


The Story-Line.

When a newly nuclear Iran starts throwing its weight around in the Persian Gulf, the Newly elected President of The United States of America watches in horror.
Thanks to a Military that has been weakened by Budget Cuts and unpopular, inconclusive Police Actions President Kevin Martindale has only ONE option.

With a Crisis developing in the Middle East, President Martindale orders his National Security Advisor Philip Freeman to create a new Team an Ultra-Secret cell of the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) Code-named Future Flight and to staff it with the Best People he knows of.

So naturally Freeman turns and recruits Patrick McLanahan and orders him to regain control of Test Article Number Two, a heavily modified Northrop B-2a Spirit Stealth Bomber that
was Tested and Improved for 2 years at HAWC (High Technology Aerospace Weapons Centre) before HAWC was Shut Down after the "Day of the Cheetah" Affair when a Soviet Mole stole an Experimental Fighter.

Future Flights Mission "To support specialized intelligence operations with long-range stealthy aerial assets" and also to try to stop conflicts before they begin with non-lethal weaponry.

So now with a New Mission, a new Aircraft and a new Crew-Member, McLanahan has to fly halfway around the world to try to save his old friends lives as Chris Wohl, Hal Briggs, Jon Masters and Paul White who have all joined "Madcap Magician" An Intelligence Support Agency Cell and have all been captured by the Iranian Navy after a Spy Mission using a Brand new UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle/Drone) to watch a Joint Chinese/Iranian Aircraft Carrier on Deployment went wrong.

The Main Characters.

President Kevin Martindale
He likes to employ Stealthy missions to attack and stop conflicts without it being Overt action and possibly damaging the United States credability.

National Security Advisor Philip Freeman
Formerly General in the U.S. Army now President Martindales Troubleshooter.

Colonel Patrick McLanahan
Forced to Retire from the U.S. AirForce after the "Day of the Cheetah" Affair, He still harbours anger and distrust of the U.S. Government.

Colonel Anthony Jamieson
A B-2a Spirit Stealth Bomber Bomb Wing Group Operations Commander who has over 4,000 hours of Flight-time including Combat.

Colonel Paul White
Commander of the ISA Cell "Madcap Magician", A Technology Wizard and Gadget man.

Jon Masters
A Boy Genius who at 13 was a Dartmouth Grad and at 20 an MIT Doctor of Science. He helped develop UAVs and other Exotic Systems for the U.S. Government.

Hal Briggs
Another HAWC Member forced out but then he joined "Madcap Magician" with

Chris Wohl
A Former Marine Corps Sergeant who is a stickler for "Going by the Book"

Riza Behrouzi
Peninsula Shield Team Commander for the Gulf Cooperation Council.

Major Admiral Akbar Tufayli
Commanding Admiral of the Islamic Revolutionary 7th Task Force on the Aicraft Carrier "Khomeini"

My Opinion.

This is yet another great book by Dale Brown.

Using real-life excerpts from the worlds media to set the scene Dale Brown brings home the possiblities of Future Conflicts.

Fast story line, characters you can "get your teeth into" and high technology all combine to create an all too real story that seems like it could happen.

And with all of the Military Decisions come the Political considerations that The White House and U.S. Goverment have to consider and deal with.

As with all of Dale Browns Novels you feel that you've been grabbed by the hair and pulled through the story at Mach 2.


About the Author.

Dale Brown is a Former U.S. AirForce Captain with thousands of hours as a Navigator in B-52 Stratofortress Bombers and F/B-111 Aardvark Fighter/Bombers.
He currently lives in Nevada and often can be found flying his own aircraft.
You can read more about Dale Brown at http://www.megafortress.com


About the Book.


Paperback: 367 Pages
Publisher: Harper Collins
Language: English
ISBN: 0-00-649846-9


Summary.

Another installment of Patrick McLanahan and The HAWC Team.

I will write a review for the "Day of the Cheetah" Affair which has decimated and destroyed HAWC.(When I find it again!!)

I paid the Full Book Cover Price for this and that was £5.99 but I've seen it since for as little as 50p on E-bay!

Steve

Summary: You Feel You're In A B-2 Spirit,You can't Notice A Thing While Reading