Deadly Straits
When marine engineer and very part-time spook Tom Dugan becomes collateral damage in the War on Terror, he's not about to take it lying down. Deadly Straits is a non-stop thrill ride, fast-paced, multilayered and gripping.
About the Book
In the tradition of Clancy and Cussler, R.E. McDermott delivers a thriller to rival the masters. When marine engineer and very part-time spook Tom Dugan becomes collateral damage in the War on Terror, he’s not about to take it lying down. Falsely implicated in a hijacking, he’s offered a chance to clear himself by helping the CIA snare their real prey, Dugan’s best friend, London ship owner Alex Kairouz. Reluctantly, Dugan agrees to go undercover in Alex’s company, despite doubts about his friend’s guilt. Once undercover, Dugan’s steadfast refusal to accept Alex’s guilt puts him at odds not only with his CIA superiors, but also with a beautiful British agent with whom he’s romantically involved. When a tanker is found adrift near Singapore with a dead crew, and another explodes in Panama as Alex lies near death after a suspicious suicide attempt, Dugan is framed for the attacks. Out of options, and convinced the attacks are prelude to an even more devastating assault, Dugan eludes capture to follow his last lead to Russia, only to be shanghaied as an ‘advisor’ to a Russian Spetsnaz unit on a suicide mission. Deadly Straits is a non-stop thrill ride, from London streets, to the dry docks of Singapore, to the decks of the tankers that feed the world’s thirst for oil, with stops along the way in Panama, Langley, Virginia, and Teheran. Richly spiced with detail from the author’s 30 years sailing, building, and repairing ships worldwide, it is, in the words of one reviewer, “fast-paced, multilayered and gripping.”
A fast-moving thriller packed with action and intrigue.
– Scott Nicholson, best-selling author of Liquid Fear
With his debut novel, McDermott sets the bar high--very high. This ambitious novel will keep you turning the pages to get to the thrilling conclusion. This is a truly impressive first book. I look forward to reading more from him.
– Neal Hock, Bookhound's Den
International intrigue in the hands of an expert. With his breathless pacing and punchy prose, McDermott knots a complicated plot so real it might as well be breaking news. Deadly Straits ravages like a category-five hurricane: unpredictable, merciless, and fierce.
– L.C. Fiore, award-winning author of Green Gospel
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