Ten novels—and more than a few screenplays—into my writing career, an interview question rather took me by surprise the other day. What prompts you, I was asked, to open your computer and start writing a new story? Is it the characters, the setting, the politics, the moment in time? And I thought; hell, yes, what…
Chapter 1 Beijing The huge gray transport shook as it corkscrewed downward, and a barrage of violent bangs rattled the fuselage. Decoy flares being fired? The slim, fair-haired woman gripping the armrests hoped so. No doubt, to lessen the chance of some rogue commander targeting them as the mission came in to land. No…
Guadalcanal Island, The Solomons August 1942 Rain. Pounding, tropical rain. Not comforting; more like scary. Sounding like a waterfall on my steel shipping-box home. My brain telling me: It’s just rain. Go back to sleep. But it wasn’t just rain: someone or thing was also pounding on the side of the box. Go away! I…
In the summer of 1984, I entered the U.S. Naval Academy as a plebe, or fourth-class midshipman. In October of that same year, Tom Clancy published his first novel, The Hunt for Red October. A few months later, our paths crossed. The meeting was the opposite of memorable. In fact, it was purely mercenary on…
The Iceman by P. T. Deutermann is an action-packed World War II military thriller featuring a daring United States Navy submarine commander during the Pacific war in 1942-43. In 1942, off the port city of St. Nazaire in occupied France, a United States Navy S-class submarine assigned to the Royal Navy lurks just outside the borders…
The Fear Within by J. S. Law is a high-octane military thriller where a teenage sailor disappears on HMS Defiance, an infamous closed case reopens, and Lt. Danielle Lewis fights for truth and survival (available February 6, 2018). After events on board the submarine HMS Tenacity, Lieutenant “Dan” Lewis of the Royal Navy’s Kill Team was…
World War with China explodes in Hunter Killer, David Poyer's powerful, all-too-believable novel about how the next world war might unfold. This novel is full of movement and the chaos of wartime. As a result, it’s difficult to write about, but at its most basic, it follows the storylines of five people: Dan Lenson, Admiral,…
Every Wednesday, we here at Criminal Element will put together a list of Staff Picks of the books that published the day before—sharing the ones that we are looking forward to reading the most! This week, we've got true crime, noir, military thrillers, and the final installment in an internationally bestselling series! See what we're…
Without Mercy is a terrifying and topical military thriller from Colonel David Hunt and R.J. Pineiro (available March 7, 2017). The unthinkable has happened: ISIS, covertly assisted by Pakistan’s intelligence services, has acquired nuclear weapons and the ability to deliver them anywhere in the world. They begin with an attack at Bagram Airfield, America’s largest…
The Breakout by Ryan David Jahn is a military thriller where Marine Corps sniper James Murphy is captured and thrown in jail while seeking revenge for his murdered sister, leaving his troop to risk their lives to break him out (available January 31, 2017). James Murphy is a Marine Corps sniper. He’s done two tours…
