cover image Battle for America: Wingman, Book 18

Battle for America: Wingman, Book 18

Mack Maloney. Open Road, $15.99 trade paper (336p) ISBN 978-1-5040-3527-9

At the start of Maloney’s exciting 18th Wingman thriller (after 2013’s Attack on Area 51), 60,000 Russian troops occupy New York City in the aftermath of a nuclear war that decimated the U.S. and left the country divided into rival fiefdoms. The only viable opposition is led by Capt. John “Bull” Dozer, who’s holed up in the New Jersey Pine Barrens with a hundred ex-marines known as the Seventh Cavalry. The head of the Russian forces is NKVD chief Vladimir Zmeya Mikhailovich. A drunk who suffers from serious mental illness, Mikhailovich has moved into the penthouse at 30 Rockefeller Center with his mistress, Dominique, who was once the girlfriend of former USAF major Hawk Hunter (aka the Wingman), whom many believe died 10 years earlier. The Wingman proves to be very much alive when he lands his tiny circus airplane at his friend Dozer’s hidden base. Once the Wingman learns of Dominique’s situation, he determines to rescue her and, in the process, free New York and save America. The universe-shifting plot is wild, the action thrilling, and the characters absolutely original. Maloney’s light, humorous touch is a plus. (May)