Deep Black (Deep Black Series #1) » (Unabridged, 1 MP3-CD, 10 hrs.)

Veteran naval aviator Stephen Coonts shook up the action-adventure game with his 1986 bestseller, Flight of the Intruder. He followed that dazzling debut with a string of adventures starring intrepid hero Jake Grafton -- a series that only gets more popular with each new release.

"Move over Clancy, readers know they can count on Coonts."

-Midwest Book Review

A spy plane gathering data on a new Russian weapon is blown out of the sky by a mysterious MiG. Is it an accident or the start of the next world war? One U.S. agency has what it takes to find out-the National Security Agency and its covert operations team: DEEP BLACK.

Working for the NSA, ex-Marine sniper Charlie Dean is dispatched to Russia, hooking up with former Delta Force trooper Lia DeFrancesca to find out what happened to the plane. The Deep Black team stumbles across an even more alarming secret-a plot to assassinate the Russian president and overthrow the democratic government by force. The coup could have dire consequences for Russia and the world. With no clearance from the government it's called on to protect, the National Security Agency goes to war. But before Lia and Dean can unravel the conspiracy, they learn that one of the spy plane's passengers-an NSA techie-survived the crash. Critical information could fall into enemy hands. And that enemy is playing to the death.

"Coonts knows how to write and build suspense."

—The New York Times Book Review

Library Journal

The NSA ("No Such Agency") has a covert operations team, known as "Deep Black." While on a mission over Russia, their spy plane is shot down, and one of the NSA techno-geeks survives. Former Marine sniper Charlie Dean and former Delta operator Lia DeFrancesca are assigned to find the NSA operative. Along the way these two discover a plot to assassinate the president of the Russian Federation in a coup, and, well, the tale spins off from there. The story is fun-filled, with lots of gadgets, explosions, action, and a few twists, but the characters are somewhat predictable. J. Charles's performance is steady, and his experienced voice is nuanced. For public libraries.-Michael T. Fein, Central Virginia Community Coll., Lynchburg Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.