Hornet's Nest Pa

Labarge ( Sweetwater Gunslinger 201 ) follows an aircraft carrier's tour of duty during 1985, offering shoot-'em-up action and a mindset that equates Middle Eastern with terrorist. Central to this unsavory tale are fighter pilots ``Sweetwater'' Sullivan and ``Sundance'' Karnes and Sweetwater's squadron, the Fighting Aardvarks, who seem like free-wheeling, hard-partying frat brothers armed with technical training, powerful weapons and minds uncluttered by any understanding of the complex political events that dominate their lives. Just tell these men to ``kick some terrorist ass'' and they'll be rarin' to go. And go they do--primarily in the Persian Gulf--as they track down an Iranian mine-laying ship to help protect a tanker owned by a U.S.-based company (and registered in Kuwait to avoid U.S. taxes); destroy an Iranian frigate; raid Iranian oil platforms; and, after Col. Khadafy declares a ``Line of Death'' across the Gulf, demolish a Libyan chemical plant. When it comes to shore leave, the good old days of double standards are perfectly preserved here: bad girls (who do) are fun but good girls (who don't) are potential wives. (July)