Into the Fire, OP-Center, by Dick Couch (A Tom Clancy Series)

I was a bit torn about my review for this new book in the Op-Center series. I loved the series and wanted this to put a fresh new look on the series and bring back a well tested set of books.

SO, let's start with this, I started reading and quite frankly couldn't put it down. When I read my first Tom Clancy book I had that experience, I started reading and couldn't stop. That happened here as well. It's Dick Couch who is writing, but he caught my attention and interest and I kept reading and reading and reading until I was done. Now I want some more.

NOW, why it was not what I expected. It didn't seem to me that the OP-Center was the main character of the novel. Yes, they are still the best set of intelligence gathering people and they have some good technical and military people involved, BUT, the story revolved more around Captain Kate Bigelow and the USS Milwaukee. This Naval Vessel is not a war time fighting vessel, it is a mine sweeper that carries little to no defensive weapons. But as the Milwaukee joins with the Defender (another U.S. minesweeper) and a South Korean flotilla they are approached by North Korean Naval Vessels that are wanting to capture and take prisoner all the naval personnel on the Milwaukee just like the USS Pueblo from the last century.

But Captain Kate Bigelow is a great leader and she takes her no weapon vessel and uses it as a way to hold off the two Korean Vessels and allowing the flotilla to escape. But she will loose her ship and some of her crew and come close to having everyone captured.

OP-Center is the group that analyzes the situation and provides the U.S. President with a way to intervene and get the crew back. But this could lead to all out war.

The book is compelling with today's political and military situations with North Korea. They are a menace to the world and need to be contained and in a sense reprimanded much as a stubborn child should be.

Dick Couch gets the situation right and does a great job of bringing the situation to a climax that you will find impressive and well written.

I'm happy with this new edition to OP-Center, but must say that it is not like our old OP-Center but still worth the read.

I'll look forward to Dick Couch's next book