Achilles' Heel

I've been a fan of Sean Flannery and David Hagberg for years. I just finished "Achilles Heel" for the second time. And it grabbed me again!The characters are believable, though a few seem slighly superhero like. The good guys, as good as they are, also have their flaws. The bad guys, as evil as they are, have their positive traits. Because they do, one almost hopes they get away with their nefarious schemes. Sort of like rooting for Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid.The book contains the elements of a great thriller: adversity, intrigue, romance, high tech gadgets, tension among the bad guys, and the good, and enough complications to keep one on the edge of going to bed or reading one more chapter.I'm confused after reading about Mr. Flannery on the back jacket. Why, is Mr. Flannery, an ex-Air Force cryptographer, wearing a USS Independence ball cap in the picture?

I looked at this sequel to Kilo Option as a dubious option. Kilo had some great moments but overall was one of Flannery's greatest disapointments. Could he redeem himself? In a word - Absolutely. Achilles Heel brings back all the major players, good and bad from Kilo Option for one final showdown. The Ukrainian villians steal an old Romeo class sub, believed to be scuttled in a Russian submarine graveyard, hide it in the English channel and wait to sell it to the highest bidder. Subplots - meticulously crafted by the author - bring two investigations together, that of the protagonist, Bill Lane, who thinks there's been a submarine theft, and that of a joint CIA/MI5 operation into thefts of Russian expatriate fortunes. Before long bodies fly, chases abound, and shootouts occur in Swiss banks. All delicious fair that complements one of the best plots Flannery has devised in years.Characterizations: Some good, some not so good. Bill Lane and his side kick, Frannie are a bit cocky. But they have glib moments that draw a chuckle, too. Yernin - the Ukrainian sociopath, and Morgan the whinny Brit are a bit shallow - two dimmensional. Masslenikov, Yernin's control in the novel is nearly a masterstroke. A bit more complex than the other characters in the novel.Pace: Nearly perfect. This is where Kilo Option fell short. Clear shot at redemption and he zeros in on the target...bullseye.Final analysis: By far better than Kilo Option, nearly as good as Winner Take All. Ranks among Flannery's better works Questions? Email me

Reading this book is like watching a good action movie. The story moves along in a very fast pace, it will keep you interested all the time. I think it's more entertaining than some of the Clancy's novels because it won't get to the point where readers struggle to keep up with too much technical information.

Flannery is just as good as Clancy. Whereas Clancy seems to be on the decline, Flannery is rising rapidly. Flannery's Bill Lane is just as great as Clancy's Jack Ryan. I'd say we can look forward to more really great books from Flannery.

The word on the oceans is that a Russian nuclear sub exploded in the Barents Sea and was deserted by everyone. However, the ship seemingly vanished and the crew disappeared without any further evidence. American military intelligence agent Bill Lane and his British counterpart and lover Frannie Shipley investigate the incident.They soon learn that the sub has been sold via the black market to a nation unfriendly to the west. The pair tries to locate the missing sub, which is steadily making its way to its new home. They also inquire into the identity of the purchaser, which leads them to Morocco. When Bill finally ferrets out the brains behind the sting, he knows that his worst nightmare has occurred. His old enemy, Valeri "the Surgeon" Yernin, is behind the nefarious plot while also seeking vengeance against Bill for a previous failed caper. However, this time around the former Russian espionage agent is holding all the cards as he has in hi! s possession the joker better known as Frannie.Sean Flannery may be the best writer of action-packed, modern day espionage thrillers with his Bill Lane stories being among the best novels of the nineties. His latest Lane tale, ACHILLES HEEL, may be Mr. Flannery's best to date, which is an incredible accomplishment after novels like WINNER TAKES ALL and KILO OPTION because this time Bill has to deal with a personal dilemma interfering with his accomplishing a mission. The story line is crisp and loaded with action, and all the characters, including Yernin, invoke reader empathy because they are so humanly motivated. This book is a great globe-trotting novel that deserves full reader attention as Lane is equal to or perhaps even better than Jack Ryan. Harriet Klausner 7/26/98