Near the start of this straightforward action thriller from bestseller Robinson (Ghost Force
), insurgents fire internationally banned Diamondhead missiles at a tank convoy in central Iraq led by Navy SEAL Lt. Cdr. Mackenzie Bedford, incinerating a number of Mack's men in their tanks. In retaliation, Mack guns down the dozen Arabs who fired the missiles as they attempt a fake surrender, for which he's drummed out of the navy. Back home, Mack's son, Tommy, is suffering from a rare disease that can only be cured by an operation costing $1 million. Mack agrees to help assassinate right-wing politician Henri Foche, a major shareholder in the French manufacturer of the Diamondhead, to earn that $1 million. Foche, who's running for the presidency of France, promises policies that will ruin the shipbuilding livelihood of Mack's Maine community if he wins the election. Despite the opposition, Mack marches implacably and sometimes implausibly on to his foregone triumph. (May)
