Fatal Orbit

As a long time friend of Tom Grace, it has sometimes been difficult to read his books, ONLY because I keep being distracted when I recognize people I know and places I've been. So I found it interesting to be in an airport away from home and to see his books displayed prominently in the airport bookstore. I bought Bird of Prey, partly out of curiosity and mostly because I needed a good read to while away the hours on the road.This is the first piece of fiction I have read in a while and I was very pleased to see how the author and the characters have matured. It gave me everything I expect from a suspense-thriller and with summer approaching, it is a perfect "beach read". I want a fast-paced book that has a bit of edginess and I want something I can whip through over the course of a couple of nights or on a long plane ride. I also appreciate Tom's use of technology - I know he is up-to-date with it but he doesn't make the reader wade through pages of technical detail - he gives just enough information to make the reader feel intelligent enough to understand it and to move the story along. My only disappointment (plot-spoiler) with this story was the abrupt swiftness of the demise of the villainess - I had hoped for some witty and pithy dialog between the Nolan character and Ms. Skye and to get a glimpse into her mind as she realized her total loss of control. I guess that's because I love it when the bad guys get a taste of what they have been dishing out page after page. Nevertheless, I am giving this a recommendation to all my reading buddies and I look forward to the next book in the series.

The Chinese launch the Shenzou 7 spaceship with a private corporation paying them to launch a commercial satellite into orbit. C.J. Skye of Skye Aerospace destroys the spaceship using a laser beam that is on the Zeus 1 satellite that she launched years ago. C.J. wants to be the one who gets the jobs of launching commercial satellites into orbit and she will not hesitate to kill the competition with her star wars weapon.When NASA wins the bid to launch a satellite into space, the Liberty is to do the job before rendezvousing with the international ISS space station. C.J. uses the laser to destroy the satellite that was an espionage weapon. When the Liberty goes to retrieve what is left of it she destroys the spaceship too. An astronaut survives and Kelsey Neaton on the ISS retrieves him. He has proof that the destructions of the Liberty and the satellite were deliberate. Kelsey emails the evidence to her fiancé scientist Nolan Kilkenny. With governmental approval, KilKenny investigates the incidents unaware that C.J. will kill to stop him.Commercial espionage can be just as deadly as government intrigue as the hero finds out as he survives one attempt on his life after another. BIRD OF PREY is an action packed thriller that moves at light speed but does not stint on characterizations. The cooperation of nations as they try to figure out this international problem is believable and the characters' actions realistic. Though C.J. seems cartoonish in her zeal, BIRD OF PREY is the ultimate cat and mouse thriller with the stakes being the freedom and safety of outer space.Harriet Klausner