WHITE PLAGUE

A triple dose of trouble awaits bioterror expert Joe Rush in the remote reaches of the Arctic Ocean: A U.S. submarine with superadvanced weapons is in flames, the sailors who haven't been killed yet by a mysterious agent will die if they're not treated soon, and a Chinese sub is fast approaching.

Not the sort of news you want to be given at 1 a.m. But the unexcitable, Anchorage-based Rush is best situated and best equipped to take charge of the situation. This despite the fact that the troops under his authority on a Marine icebreaker treat him like a pariah for a tragic incident dating back to his own days as a Marine during the first Gulf War. A brash loudmouth from the State Department isn't his best friend, either. But with his one-time Marine sidekick Eddie, the nation's leading authority on Arctic ice and a fetching submarine expert all alongside him, Rush is ready for battle. But what exactly is killing the sailors? Will the Chinese annihilate Rush and his crew before they find out? Is there a spy among the Americans? And what about the Russians, who covet control of the Arctic region now that its melting icecap is creating new gas, oil and shipping possibilities? Abel (a pseudonym) is a solid, cleanly efficient writer who knows how to stage an action scene and, just as important, is a master of this chilled universe. One of the book's memorable moments is keyed to the shifting behavior of the ice on which the ships are perched. Though the secret conspiracy underlying the events is a bit predictable, the effective flashbacks and unfolding events keep the pages turning.

Joe Rush makes a strong debut against dangerous odds in the Arctic, and so does Abel.