Ashes of Victory

A mysterious terrorist organization targets U.S. naval forces in this exciting military action thriller from bestseller Weber (Defcon One) and Pineiro (The Fall). Shortly after the USS Harry S. Truman leaves its berth in Norfolk, Va., an explosive-loaded DC-9 deliberately crashes into the Nimitz-class carrier. Later, in Singapore, the USS John C. Stennis, another Nimitz-class carrier, is badly crippled by a torpedo fired from a stealth submarine lurking off the Changi Naval Base. Other strikes follow. An enraged U.S. president, Cord Macklin, orders attacks on terrorist camps, but no one knows who’s behind the attacks. The prologue introduces readers to one perpetrator, Gen. Deng Xiangsui, the supreme commander of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, who has sworn revenge on the U.S. after being shot down over the Taiwan Strait in 1958. The authors touch on all the usual military thriller tropes, but it’s their technical expertise, meticulous descriptions of weaponry, and intense battle scenes that will enthrall genre fans. Agent: Andrew Zack, Zack Co. (Sept.)