I got all the way to the resolution of the knife standoff and gave up at the deus ex mossad. ( )

Enjoyable

Enjoyed the read. The action was reminiscent of the Hunt for Red October. A very good thought experiment on some of the vulnerabilities in our systems but nuclear and conventional. ( )

Crimson Tide meets The Hunt for Red October. Iran is about the get a nuclear weapon so Israel asks for bunker busting tactical nukes. When the U.S. refuses, Israel has valid launch orders sent to the USS Kentucky and radio room treachery precludes its receipt of termination orders. The U.S. fleet is told the Chinese have stolen plans for a Trident sub and seek to sink her, but cannot locate her as there is a blind spot in their newest sonar. Good action, with a little too much technical showing off by ex-submariner and author Rick Campbell.

I liked the nickname for the spliced USS San Francisco when they used a portion of the decommissioned USS Honolulu's hull to make the San Franlulu. ( )

I read “Ice Station Nautilus” and “Blackmail” earlier and enjoyed both. The extensive cast of characters was somewhat confusing as I had not read Campbell’s first two books, but I had not given any serious thought to going back and reading the earlier novels.

I was delighted to see Campbell’s next offering, “Treason,” in Barnes and Noble and plan to read it soon. Before reading it, however, I decided to read Campbell’s first two books. Boy am I glad I did. “Trident Reception,” Campbell’s first book, is even better than “Ice Station Nautilus” and “Blackmail.”

The USS Kentucky has been ordered to target Iran with its 24 nuclear missiles. Each missile carries eight warheads which are independently targeted, yielding the potential to strike 192 targets. If the Kentucky successfully completes its mission Iran will be obliterated.

The action shifts back and forth among the multiple ships and aircraft attempting to intercept the Kentucky, the efforts of the Kentucky to avoid destruction, and the activities in Israel and Washington D. C. Campbell’s personal experience allows him to create complicating developments that will not occur to readers. The result is an excellent job of keeping readers in the dark and eager to keep reading.

Although this is Campbell’s first book, and I favorably reviewed the third and fourth books in the series, I say without hesitation that this is his best book so far. I recommend it enthusiastically. ( )

I agree with the blurb, this is the best 'submarine action' book since Clancy - small genre, perhaps but genuine. The technical difficulties... exist, but don't really detract from the story overall. ( )