Great story and plot. Loved all the characters and couldn't put it down. Recommend highly to all fans of this genre. Loved it!!

Don Riley is the director of the CIA’s Emerging Threats Group (ETG). This group is meant to find and neutralize threats before they cause major problems across the globe, utilizing the best cyber-intelligence at their fingertips.

His best analysts have been working there for over three years and have proven themselves to be highly capable. However, one of them, Janet Everett, is leaving the ETG and following her dream of working in a submarine. She’s going to be assigned to the USS Idaho as a Weapons Officer. Her replacement, Mark, has big shoes to fill, working with Dre and Michael, who’s been with the ETG since its inception.

Now, they all must work together to understand why a series of hot spots are flaring up across the globe. From the Strait of Hormuz to Iran, to Panama, Russia, China, Venezuela, and more, each one turns into an international incident. When putting them all together, it looks like it all points to one culprit. Can the ETG get to the bottom of this global catastrophe and find out what is happening here before the world explodes into war?

The story here moves across the world at a breakneck pace. From the halls of power in Russia to a new President of the United States looking to advance American interests in Washington DC, to the Supreme Leader in North Korea, we get to see world leaders react to this crisis. As each of them wonders how they might be able to use this situation to their advantage, it’s becoming clear that something is going on behind the scenes.

The story also moves from one hot spot to the next, as seen through the lenses of the people leading the charge. In some cases, it’s with Janet aboard the submarine Idaho, in others it’s with Rear Admiral Chip Sharratt leading a fleet of aircraft carriers and other supporting craft in the waters off Taiwan. From soldiers on the ground and submariners under the sea, we get multiple viewpoints from different branches of service.

There’s also a shadowy operative with multiple identities, who is primarily known as Ian Thomas. He has a hidden agenda. Who his boss is, what tasks he is trying to accomplish and what his final endgame is, are mysteries that slowly unfold across this narrative. By the end, what is happening is revealed and as a reader, I was unable to guess what he was doing and why. That is one of the many hallmarks of this terrific thriller.

There’s not just intrigue, there’s plenty of action as well. From an invasion of Venezuela to a devastating terrorist attack to aircraft carriers going up against enemy submarines, the simmering action leads to many different fighting scenarios between the world’s biggest powers. On the verge of igniting World War III, Russia, and the United States engage in a game of brinkmanship that goes right to the edge.

This novel is also a superb portrait of twenty-first-century warfare and what it looks like. From the sophisticated weapons to ingenious uses of technology employed by all countries, it’s all impressive. The use of drones in the air and under the sea is also stunning, as is the precision with which they carry out their missions. But cyberwarfare is also included in this ability to wage war from all sides. This novel is a startling example of what state-of-the-art warfare looks like in the modern age.

This includes cutting-edge technology, especially weaponry, as well as the use of computers to make a detailed analysis of the situation. Being able to prognosticate what the near future looks like in the world as depicted here is eerily accurate. The authors take all of that and spin it into a mesmerizing novel, just like they have done in their previous novels featuring these characters.

This story aptly shows that it’s the human beings who are the most crucial part of the equation. From looking for patterns in the data, analyzing it, and cohesively assembling it into actionable intelligence. It’s the collective group working together for a common purpose representing teamwork at its best.

It is also a depiction of a cohesive military working together for the benefit of its home country. Showing how the US military forces are a force to be reckoned with, we see that effectively demonstrated here through the coordinated use of the Army, Navy, the Air Force, and more.

Intelligence and information continue to be the currency of modern warfare and it’s the ETG who once again prove they have what it takes. Their ability to look at the big picture and their analysis prove time and again to be highly important. Right up until the final chapters, it’s their data that can turn a difficult situation into a winning one.

Don Riley, the director of the ETG, is our main protagonist here. Up against his superiors who think the ETG should be mothballed and trying to prove the relevancy of their department to the higher-ups, he is up against a wall here. Doubting himself and his ability to parse the situation, he is trying to connect all the dots and ask the right questions. The pressure has never been higher on him and the ETG to perform and resolve this powder keg situation.

Also getting some spotlight is Janet Everett. Now assigned to the Idaho, she has a critical part to play to help stave off the oncoming conflagration. And her thinking outside of the box, skills that she refined when she was part of the ETG, come to the fore here and brings about a unique solution to what looks like an unresolvable problem.

Mark, Dre, and Michael get time to shine working at the ETG as they go through mountains of data to find the intel they need, both online and in the field. Boots on the ground are sometimes what’s needed to discover what is really going on before it’s too late and the world explodes into a war they cannot turn back from.

All the characters here get some characterization and become more than just chess pieces being moved into position around the globe. In lesser hands, these characters could just be ciphers playing second fiddle to the larger plot. But not here. These characters sometimes second-guess their actions, have doubts, think about their personal and professional relationships, have romantic histories, and more.

This is especially true of the character of Don Riley, going back to the first book in this series by these authors, titled “Weapons of Mass Deception”, published in 2015. Since then, he’s evolved from a supporting character into the main character over the course of five novels now. His importance has also grown along with his role changes. It’s refreshing to see such characters flourish in these novels, along with his supporting cast, who’ve grown on me as well.

While resolving many plot points over the course of this novel, there are some unresolved plot threads. It looks the rest of it will be addressed in the second novel in this duology, titled “Counter Strike”. I’m looking forward to seeing how it rectifies the machinations put into play here.

The good news is that “Counter Strike” will be coming out one month after this novel is published. As a reader, I’m glad I don’t have to wait long for a follow-up because I really want to find out what happens next. It’s poised to be an explosive novel with a ton of action, even more so than this one and that is saying something.

New readers of this series have nothing to fear. This novel is very welcoming to them while long-time fans like me, who’ve read all the novels and most of the short stories, will find allusions to previous stories. Not having read those other stories will not impact your enjoyment of this novel, though it enriches the reading experience if you have already done so.

It’s an intense, edge-of-your-seat page-turner by two writers at the top of their game. I’ve read stories by these authors before so I’m glad to see them continue telling taut, exciting geopolitical techno-thrillers in the tradition of Tom Clancy. It features a globe-spanning, all too plausible story about how malevolent forces try to advance their interests while the good guys try to stop them.

Try to keep up with its breathlessly fast pace and you’ll find a story that relentlessly accelerates into a nightmare scenario where World War III can start with the push of just one button. Like myself, you won’t be able to stop reading until the very last page, and then you will demand more.

Please note I received an advance copy of this ebook through NetGalley.

The book about a technology war between the superpowers. I enjoyed the technological detail and the interplay between characters. It reminded me of a Tom Clancy novel.

I really like this author duo. It is not my first book from the author and will not be my last. I read this and thought of Tom Clancy and how his books start one way and spiral out and become global affairs with tentacles reaching into many different countries and players. This is one of those books. I don't want to spoil any of the plot but if this sounds like your type of book, pick this up. It is great and I can't wait for the next installment by the authors.

Today, I am delighted to be able to provide a brief review of a novel entitled "Command and Control," written by David Bruns and J.R. Olson; the ARC was graciously provided to me by Severn River Publishing. As the title suggests, this work belongs to the genre of cutting edge technofiction. A highly trained agent working for an unidentified party of uncertain motivation, is providing technologically sophisticated weaponry to rogue regimes and disenchanted terrorists the world over. Initially, the intent remains unclear since the incidents, while bloody and very public invariably involve the United States and its armed forces. In no time U.S. forces are being stretched to the breaking point responding to flare ups around the world. Careful analysis of the very high tech weaponry being deployed to provoke the U.S. reveals that it appears to be of Russian origin. As the action heats up and the world moves to the brink of world war, other developments change perspectives on Russian involvement, leading to much angst in Washington and Moscow. I don't want to give much more away, but take it from me, the book is very engaging if technofiction or military fiction are your thing. I could hardly put this one down, and I look forward to more work from the authors!