The world is falling apart, and there are plenty of people willing to take advantage. One of them is Parvel Kazakov, a Russian oilman with close ties to organized crime and an audacious idea: build a huge pipeline through the Balkans, get the Russian army to back him and everybody gets rich. Though NATO will object, the new American President's emphatic policy of isolationism will guarantee no effective opposition. Russia will dominate Europe. Kazakov will dominate the oil supply.
But he hasn't reckoned with Patrick McLanahan. The young Air Force general leads a combat mission deep into Russia - until he is put in check by the President himself. As Kazakov and Russia continue their unrelenting drive towards European hegemony, McLanahan and his team find themselves faced with a dire choice. Which is the greater threat: the dangerous empire in front of them - or the dangerous president at home? Which ever way they choose, there is no turning back...

This is the 9th book in the Patrick McLanahan series; it's still going strong and there is plenty of fresh material (and world crises) to keep the reader entertained.

However, I actually found it veering off a little from "high tech" to "unbelievable". I know authors like to push the technology envelope with these so called techno-thrillers, but part of the reason I've also enjoyed these Dale Brown books is they are for the most part based in reality with mostly believable technology enhancements. Now with the fancy suit that appears in 'Tin Man' coming back in the plot of this novel it just seems a bit, well, cheesy. I would have much preferred a more gritty battle scene than a wave of the hand and we've-got-a-fancy-suit-that-wins-no-matter-what-you-do fight.

The above may not matter to some readers, I just found some parts a little out of touch with the reasons I enjoy the books.

Overall, still a good book with plenty of action, conspiracies, subterfuge and high flying adventure. ( )

Read 2nd time 02-15-2015