Silent Descent

The author of Pressure Point enhances his reputation with a post-Cold War techno-thriller that boasts intricate plotting, exciting action, full-bodied characters and energetic dialogue. A Russian general seeking to feed his men trades nuclear weapons for grain, using what remains of the former Soviet Union's security apparatus to keep his own government in the dark. Rather than publicly accuse him and force an international confrontation, the U.S. elects to launch a covert operation. General William Thon, a Vietnam veteran decorated with both the Silver Star and a Purple Heart, is charged with training an elite Navy SEAL team to enter Siberia, contact an agent-in-place and bring back proof of the conspiracy. Couch, himself a former SEAL and CIA officer, deftly lays out the details of the operation's planning and execution, which eventually involves an American submarine risking discovery in Russian waters to extract the SEALs. The complex plot never seems contrived, thanks to the author's careful attention to his story's human dimension. His presentation of life in post-Soviet Russia, with its potentially explosive mixture of hardship, hope and memory, is a well-executed counterpoint to the clandestine derring-do. Also to his credit, Couch maintains suspense without succumbing to the violent denouement often characteristic of this genre. (Sept.)