Former US Air Force captain Dale Brown was born in Buffalo, New York. He was still serving in the US Air Force, where he was a navigator-bombardier, when he wrote his first thriller, Flight of the Old Dog. His most recent novels are The Tin Man, Battle Born, Warrior Class and Wings of Fire.
Bestseller Brown (Edge of Battle) takes the subject of his latest from current headlines--the rapprochement between Iran and Russia (the former wants to secure nuclear technology, the latter a new foothold in the Middle East). The emergence of an Iranian nuclear arsenal sets off a crisis, which the usual high-tech weaponry and clean-cut American flyboys (and now girls) deal with as effectively as ever in Brown's fictional world. The author presents his Iranian characters as more than cardboard villains, skillfully showing the influence of Islamic culture on their motivations. Of course, Brown also provides plenty of fast action and exotic hardware, like the XR-A9 space plane, plus such nice touches as a U.S. president who wants to make a space flight. Techno-thriller fans and aviation buffs will be well rewarded. (May) Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.
At least no one can say that Brown's thrillers (e.g., Plan of Attack) aren't timely. The focus here is on a militant and nuclear Iran and on U.S. efforts to prevent a nuclear crisis. Political shenanigans, coup attempts in Iran, Russian duplicity, and America's use of ultra-high-tech weapons abound. Stir in a lot of action, and you've got the potential for a very good novel. Sadly, it doesn't happen. Lt. Gen. Patrick McLanahan, the ensemble characters, and the over-the-top pseudotechnology from Brown's earlier works all return for a read that is shallow, predictable, and filled with near-cartoonish characters. Those who like their adventure and technothrillers better written and with depth and originality will be disappointed. It is well past time for Brown to retire McLanahan and friends and introduce a new cast and a new series of situations. For larger collections. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 2/15/07.]--Robert Conroy, Warren, MI Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.
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