THE MOSCOW OFFENSIVE
by Dale Brown
An off-the-books mercenary unit is the world’s best bet against unchecked Russian aggression.
Brown (Price of Duty, 2017, etc.) returns with the ongoing saga of legendary American pilot Patrick McLanahan, who is now more machine than man and employed, along with his fighter pilot son, Brad, by former American president Kevin Martindale’s private security force, Scion. It’s set in the not-too-distant future of 2020, when the American president, Stacy Anne Barbeau, described as “astonishingly petty and willfully blind,” fails to recognize a looming Russian threat. As a consequence, the responsibility of saving the free world rests on the shoulders of Martindale’s private army, working in partnership with the recently established Alliance of Free Nations in Eastern Europe. In particular, Scion’s Iron Wolf Squadron of human piloted robots, known as Cybernetic Infantry Devices, has the capability to hinder any possible moves by Russia to extend its influence in Eastern Europe. But what happens when the Russian president finances a private army of former Spetsnaz operators and uses them along with a Russian prototype version of the CID to strike deep inside the United States? This well-researched story is told in a manner that respects the reader’s intelligence and raises questions about American foreign policy decisions regarding Russia and Europe.
A fun read that really shines with the author’s convincing knowledge of military aircraft.