Treason
by Rick Campbell has plenty of suspense and action in this
military thriller. Once again National Security Advisor Christine
O'Connor is put in imminent danger and must use her skills,
experience, and mind to outwit the Russians who are intent
on killing her and destroying the US.
The Cold War is back. “In 2014 I went to my first Thrillerfest.
One author said the Cold War is hot again. It took fifteen
years after the Berlin Wall fell that people realized Russia
is not our friend. Their mindset is that they want to be a
superpower and will pursue that at the detriment of others.
I wrote books 3, 4, and 5 in this series because I wanted
a military power that the US could go up against and Russia
could still give us a run for our money, along with China.
I put the US in a bind and do not make it obvious how they
will get out of it.”
The plot has some rogue Russian military generals, after initiating
a coup against the Russian President, Yuri Kalinin, decide
to implement the Zolotov option, rendering American's B2 bombes
and ballistic missiles useless. Without the US to worry about
they swiftly invade Ukraine. To make matters worse, Christine
is trapped in Russia after she had accepted a date of sorts
by Kalinin. Now she and he are on the run after escaping those
that tried to depose him. The American President has issued
orders to send in a SEAL team led by Jake Harrison to rescue
both Kalinin and Christine.
As with most military/political thrillers at times readers
must suspend belief. Although for the most part the plot is
based on probable reality: the tactics used, the paramilitary
armies, the Russian coup, arms reduction, and the American
response are possibilities that could happen.
Campbell states, “Up to now I wanted to make my books
completely realistic, but in this book, I made up the submarine.
It does not exist in real life. Regarding Christine and Yuri,
my thoughts are when it comes to men and women attracted to
each other, people sometimes go beyond what is imaginable.
Just look at Helen of Troy where an entire nation went to
war over one woman. The Russian coup could happen considering
Boris Yeltsin was overthrown, although not by the military
but by the KGB.”
This series is different than the others in that a female
lead can fend for herself and actually save her male counterparts.
Having an overwhelming survival instinct, she has beat lethal
odds, including in this story. The other difference is that
the Russian President is not a Putin look-alike. Readers can
actually sympathize with him, realizing that he is a moderate
amongst extremists. He is not the typical Russian antagonist
and is full of surprises.
This is a compelling story with compelling characters. The
probable scenarios make for a riveting plot.
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