Executive Intent (Patrick McLanahan Series #16) »

Dale Brown is the author of numerous New York Times bestsellers, starting with Flight of the Old Dog in 1987. A former U.S. Air Force captain, he often flies his own plane over the skies of the United States.

The United States has just launched the most powerful weapon in history — a missilelaunching satellite called "Thor's Hammer" that can strike anywhere on the planet in seconds. The world's other major superpowers, Russia and China, are rocked by America's development, and they scramble to respond by gaining control of the seas.

But when terrorists hijack Pakistani missiles and fire them at Indian cities, U.S. President Joseph Gardner has only one option — to use the untested Thor's Hammer. But when something goes awry, Pakistan decides to give China naval strategic advantage by granting access to Middle Eastern ports.

To make matters worse, Somali pirates board a Chinese freighter and slaughter the crew. China responds by brutally attacking and then occupying Somalia, quickly setting up missile pads that can target U.S. Naval ships. Now the U.S. high command is on red alert and the country's security is in total jeopardy. . .

Another flash point quickly emerges — in Earth's orbit. When Chinese and Russian spacecraft surround an American space station, the threat is clear: negotiate and compromise, or China and Russia will cripple the U.S. Navy with ballistic missiles. Will the world's superpowers be plunged into a full-scale war?

With Executive Intent, the New York Times bestselling master thriller-writer Dale Brown crafts an action-packed tale of intrigue and technological weaponry that pits the world's superpowers in a contest for Earth's oceans and ultimate high ground — space.

Publishers Weekly

The Chinese and Russian heads of state collaborate, using deception and sabotage to jeopardize the successful U.S. military facilities on the sea and in space. Recurring characters from Brown's previous books play major roles in both thrilling military operations and tense political confrontations. William Dufris is an accomplished and versatile reader; having read previous Brown books on audio, he delivers an experienced and animated performance that adds heft and color to characters that are already easy to visualize, and his talent enhances the story with increasing tension that makes the most of this exciting action techno-thriller. A Morrow hardcover (Reviews, Mar. 29). (June)