Defcon One, a Novel

A worst-case scenario of the future of U.S.-Soviet relations envisions the failure of the current Soviet reform, leading to a desperate attack on the U.S. that threatens to escalate to nuclear war

A first novel, this gripping techno-thriller is set in the early 1990s, with the Soviet system falling apart and the U.S. about to take a commanding lead in the arms race, thanks to a combination of Stealth technology and SDI. The assassination of the Soviet premier brings to power a hard-liner with a daring plan: to force the U.S. to the brink of war--a state called Defense Readiness Condition Two, only one stage below maximum readiness, DefCon One--and then suddenly relax the pressure. If, as expected, the U.S. forces stand down, the U.S.S.R. will launch a surprise first strike. Weber, a former Marine fighter pilot, handles the military aspects of the developing confrontation convincingly, concentrating on air and naval operations. The novel's secret-agent aspect, a fast-paced escape-and-evasion trail through the heart of the Soviet Union, is only slightly less effective. The process by which responses to Russian provocation escalate to the limit is frighteningly credible, even in the age of glasnost. 100,000 first printing; $150,000 ad/promo.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

When aging Soviet hard-liner Zhilinkov attains power, he bullies his Politburo comrades into "testing" the speed of U.S. military reactions. The scenes shift rapidly from gripping air and naval battles to national strategy centers in Washington and Moscow as an equally determined President increases U.S. readiness posture towards Defense Condition One. Weber's forte is his ability to tell a fast-paced war story filled with accurate details of the latest weapons systems. The only characters who emerge as human beings are Dimitri Karpov, a Russian-speaking mole, and Steve Wickham, the senior CIA agent in Moscow, as they battle throughout the book to escape the clutches of the KGB and GRU with their critical information about Zhilinkov's intentions. In this first novel about the sunset of nuclear war, Weber chooses to ignore the roles Congress, the media, and the public would play in deciding U.S. responses. Recommended. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 5/15/89.
- Elsa Pendleton, Computer Sciences Corp., Ridgecrest, Cal.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.