In the tradition of Tom Clancy, Clive Cussler, Vince Flynn, Brad Thor, and W.E.B. Griffin, R. E. McDermott delivers a thriller to rival the masters.
When marine engineer and very part-time spook Tom Dugan becomes collateral damage in the War on Terror, he's not about to take it lying down.
Falsely implicated in a hijacking, he's offered a chance to clear himself by helping the CIA snare their real prey, Dugan's best friend, London ship owner Alex Kairouz. Reluctantly, Dugan agrees to go undercover in Alex's company, despite doubts about his friend's guilt. Once undercover, Dugan's steadfast refusal to accept Alex's guilt puts him at odds not only with his CIA superiors, but also with a beautiful British agent with whom he's romantically involved.
When a tanker is found adrift near Singapore with a dead crew, and another explodes in Panama as Alex lies near death after a suspicious suicide attempt, Dugan is framed for the attacks. Out of options, and convinced the attacks are prelude to an even more devastating assault, Dugan eludes capture to follow his last lead to Russia, only to be shanghaied as an advisor to a Russian Spetsnaz unit on a suicide mission.
Deadly Straits is a nonstop thrill ride, from London streets, to the dry docks of Singapore, to the decks of the tankers that feed the world's thirst for oil, with stops along the way in Panama, Langley, Virginia, and Teheran. Richly spiced with detail from the author's 30 years sailing, building, and repairing ships worldwide, it is, in the words of one reviewer, fast-paced, multilayered, and gripping.
Download and start listening now!
"My husband and I both read this book at the same time. We were mesmerized and could not put it down. For me the first 55 pages were a slow start but then it all started falling in place. Lots of characters, places and ships to keep straight as you read. The dialog contains some sarcastic humor that always adds to a book for me. The setting of large oil carriers being hijacked by terrorists was believable. There was a lot of words specific to this industry that had me scurrying for a dictionary but even without knowing exacly what the word neant did not detract from the story. The ending was perfect and screams for more. This new author writes like Tom Clancy (Sum of all Fear) and Nelson Demille. I look forward to more by R E McDermott!"
—
Grandmadee (5 out of 5 stars)