Countdown

Countdown was I believe my 2nd David Hagberg novel, which I picked up shortly after finishing Critical Mass (another winner btw). One of the things I like most about Hagberg's writing is it reminds me of early Clancy--before he slipped into a world of endless pages describing all but the plot of the story he meant to be telling. Think of it as all the thrills without all of the unnecessary crap. Kirk McGarvey continues to be my all-time favorite spy in fictional print. While Kirk has had quite a career that has taken him to places I doubt anyone could have forseen this early on, he always remains true to himself and ideals...and one of my favorite things about him is that despite his obvious talent for killing people, he is almost constantly haunted by all the death he has caused. He is a deeply flawed, but principled man who WANTS to do the right thing, even if it means sometimes hurting those he loves most. One of my favorite parts of Countdown HAS to be the addition of the submarine. Hagberg excels in this particular area proving he has what it takes to write a slam-bang Submarine techno-thriller with the best of them--something he proved years later with 'By Dawn's Early Light' easily one of my all-time favorite submarine novels. While I wish he would write more of them, I'll be just as happy finding out whatever Kirk is up to as long as he continues to write--in fact whether Kirk is involved or not, I'm a fan for life. Hagberg ROCKS!

This was another good book featuring our hero Kirk McGarvey. This book brought about the introduction of the KGB killing machine Arkady Kurshin. Coupled with McGarvey's other nemesis Baranov this pair was extremely deadly. McGarvey stays in a dead run trying to prevent the Russians from launching first a Pershing missile and then a Tomahawk missile. This book gives you any type of action scenario that you could ask for. McGarvey and Kurshin battle each other in the sea and on dry land. Baranov is of couse trying to depose Gorbachev. This book is action packed with an excellent plot as well as outstanding characters. This is another great book from Hagberg.

Countdown is a great read and one that makes one wonder if guys like Kirk McGarvey and Arkady Kurshin can actually accomplish what they do. So much suspense and mystery. Steal a submarine? Impossible? No, not the way David Hagberg writes it. A great book for James Bond readers, and one that Bond himself should read. He might learn something.