Targets of Opportunity » (Playaway Edition)

Joe Weber was a carrier-qualified fighter-attack-trained pilot for the United States Marine Corps. After his release from active duty, Weber flew commercially until 1989. His unique inside knowledge and flair for explosive drama have earned him praise from today’s masters of military fiction. His books have appeared on the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, and Publishers Weekly bestseller lists. Weber lives near Pensacola, Florida.

Marine Aviator Brad Austin has a new assignment, one that is destined to change the outcome of the Vietnam War. If he is unsuccessful, his government will deny any involvement. If he succeeds, the enemy will be easy prey for the American pilots.

Austin is recruited by the CIA for a daring and dangerous secret mission involving a captured North Vietnamese MiG jet, a secret CIA air base in Laos, and flying behind enemy lines disguised as a Russian pilot. Austin and a tiny band of brave men - along with one courageous woman, hold the fate of the air war in their hands.

Publishers Weekly

This Vietnam-era techno-thriller, a sequel to Rules of Engagement , takes hotshot Marine pilot Brad Austin and his Navy buddy Nick Palmer into the shadowy world of clandestine operations. After obtaining a MiG-17, the standard fighter plane of the North Vietnamese air force, the CIA recruits Austin and Palmer to fly the aircraft against its counterparts from a secret base in the heart of Laos. Weber takes a plot premise reminiscent of the aviation pulp novels of the 1920s and does it full justice in a story whose fast pace and exciting action outweigh implausibilities in the plot. He highlights the practical difficulties facing a rogue aircraft in a high-intensity combat environment as both sides target the MiG for destruction. Genre fans will also appreciate Weber's knowledgeable re-creation of the pilot's perspective on the MiG-17's capacities as a warplane. A first-rate air-combat adventure by a master of the genre. (Feb.)