Crossfire

I read two of Mr. Pollock's books in the past, Centrifuge and Threat Case back in the mid 90's. Both books were well written, however at that time, the Cold War thriller genre seemed to be getting a bit stale. With movies like The Good Shepherd and The Company coming out recently, I thought I'd again read up on some Cold War fiction. Crossfire fit the bill perfectly. Again a well written book. The author really knows his subject matter. What is well known these days was cutting edge technology and method back in 1985. Very few people outside of the Special Operations community knew what a HAHO jump and LAP System were. Unlike a lot of similar type books written at that time (Rambo, Mack Bolan series), the characters in Crossfire seem real and authentic. They have weaknesses and vulnerabilities which the author often exploits. This book is very fast paced and keeps you interested. I'd recommend it to anyone interested in revisiting the Cold War.

A Czech scientist has died. His briefcase in the possession of a Czech skater, who knows not its contents. Her price for handing it over is a safe passage to the U.S.The Mission: 6 elite Special Forces units parachute into Czechoslavakia from 35,000ft, a HAHO jump, while their plane is still in German airspace. The team lands at the drop zone, but the ambush is complete. Five of the six are gunned down there, but the sixth escapes. Frank Kessler means to survive, and complete the mission.Once reaching Prague, he finds the trail to the skater, whose suspicious actions show that she has the briefcase, but doesn't know its significance. Inside is one of the most incredible espionage ploys devised by the West to foil the Soviet missile systems. The skater will not deal with the American military man, but asks instead for a former lover, a playboy of sorts named Adrian Dulaney, who must receive a crash course in parachuting, arms usage, tactics and the mission parameters, before he is bailed out of a plane in a LALO jump to infiltrate Prague, recover the girl and the briefcase as best he may.The plot is wonderfully intricate, the characters intensely real, their motives purely human. This is among the most wonderful espionage books ever written, recommended in my graduate college curriculum in a management course. The author deserves status as a household name.His other books are suspect, somewhat hollow, but this one delivers as few others dare. Tom Clancy step aside, and let the true master raise this single torch aloft.An excellent, excellent book!