Ultimatum

Shot down over Iraq, Navy Lieutenant Kevin "Crackers" Dalton becomes involved with Khalela, a beautiful, mysterious Mossad agent who leads a band of Kurdish rebels, and together they attempt to destroy Saddam Hussein's nuclear arsenal. A first novel.

Though not usually the darling of the techno-thriller set (his clone is dissed mightily in Dale Brown's upcoming Storming Heaven, for example), Bill Clinton should be dancing in the Oval Office when he hears about this first hardcover novel from Pineiro (Siege of Lightning). Time and again, the Chief Executive is shown acting sensibly, decisively and with prayer in his heart as he works to prevent the resumption of the Mother of All Wars, this time around against a Saddam Hussein equipped with nuclear weapons acquired from a disintegrated Soviet Union. Aiding Clinton are a canny CIA operative, several talented and independent-minded pilots and a number of courageous Kurdish guerrillas, all engaging in an exciting and plausible series of skirmishes, dogfights and chases against Saddam's forces. Just enough sex and romance, plus lots of flying and shooting but not too much techno-jargon, make this a crowd-pleasing yarn. To his credit, Pineiro doesn't play down the ugly consequences of combat: the accidents, the wounds, the fears are tellingly laid out. In addition, the cast is not only multiracial but includes women of courage and conscience-a nice bonus in what adds up to a first-rate contribution to the genre.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Arm Saddam Hussein's Iraq with nuclear missiles, aim them at Israel and Iran, and at American planes in the Middle East, then smuggle some nuclear weapons into the U.S.--all this to provoke President Clinton into launching Gulf War II--and you have the plot of R. J. Pineiro's second thriller. He peppers the plot with such characters as a navy pilot nicknamed "Crackers," who was downed over Iraq while seeking revenge for the death of his friend and fellow pilot, a gorgeous Mossad agent who carries a 9-mm Beretta and can shoot down enemy helicopters with a Javelin rocket launcher, and some Kurdish rebels. They must find Hussein's hidden nuclear arsenal before time runs out and war begins. Not a very original plot--or very original characters--but Pineiro keeps the action going at a frantic pace. George Cohen

Skirmishes between Iraqi and U.S. fighter planes may provoke Saddam Hussein into using his newly developed nuclear weapons. The warheads are being assembled at a laboratory disguised as a dairy plant. The only group standing in the way are some Kurdish terrorists, a Mossad agent, and a U.S. pilot who is shot down over western Iraq. This novel vividly depicts the slaughter of Iraq's populace and Saddam Hussein's megalomaniacal vision. On the American side, the cunning strategy of a CIA agent and an Air Force colonel help save the day. Ultimately, the book has it all: current defense technology, well-crafted characters (e.g., Bill Clinton is portrayed as a savvy and human president), and an action-packed plot. Move over Tom Clancy, there is a new kid on the block. For most fiction collections.
Jo Ann Vicarel, Cleveland Heights-University Heights P.L., Ohio
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.