Onslaught: The War with China—the Opening Battle

Poyer’s superb 16th thriller featuring Capt. Daniel V. Lenson., USN, steams into the roughest waters yet as China continues its smash and grab for world power. In addition to mounting a defense against Chinese aggression toward such Pacific Rim nations as Taiwan and Japan, Dan has to run a ship, the USS Savo Island, where a rapist is on the loose. A host of other problems pile on his shoulders, until just staying upright and functioning becomes problematic. Meanwhile, Dan’s wife, Blair Titus, is running for Congress in a U.S. gradually disintegrating into chaos, and SEAL Master Chief Petty Officer Theodore Harlett Oberg is preparing his aging and battered body for a mission that will thrust him into a situation so dire that he wishes he were dead rather than alive. But the keel of the story—the naval battles with China—are always foremost, and Poyer is among the best authors, present or past, to write these electrifying scenes. Military-action fans will eagerly await the second installment in what appears to be a distinct story arc within the larger series. (Dec.)