The Omega Missile

Green Beret instructor Dalton resurrects the threat of nuclear annihilation in this disjointed military thriller. The Omega Missile is the code name of an operation to launch every nuclear weapon in the U.S. arsenal, and it's targeted by Chief Petty Officer McKenzie (only civilians get first names in Dalton's world), a ticked-off ex-Navy SEAL aiming to take over the system. Charged with saving the world from nuclear holocaust is Captain Thorpe, a Green Beret who's previously worked with McKenzie on joint assignments. Thrown into the mix are an egotistical national security adviser, a no-nonsense chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and a pretty Air Force major and Omega Missile expert. A plodding beginning gives way to a tense middle and ending, although novice military fiction readers will want to cut their teeth on something a bit easier to follow. (Sept.)