The Shark Mutiny - Softcover

Robinson, Patrick

4.01

1,786 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0380820714 ISBN 13: 9780380820719

Publisher: HarperCollins, 2001

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It is 2007, and three supertankers are ablaze in the Strait of Hormuz. World oil prices skyrocket. US Military Intelligence concludes that behind this catastrophe at the gateway to the Persian Gulf stands Iran, assisted by an expansionist China. Joined by new, young naval intelligence officer Lt. Jimmy Ramshawe, Admiral Arnold Morgan threatens the Iranian Navy with annihilation, deploying the US Navy to Hormuz along with the nuclear submarine, USS Shark, carrying two teams of Navy SEALS. With the US Navy distracted, China is able to unleash an attack on Taiwan, America's weak ally. The situation is critical as mutiny occurs onboard the USS Shark, jeopardising the entire operation by preventing the SEALS from assisting the increasingly desperate Taiwanese Air force ...

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Review:

Veteran techno-thriller writer Robinson's fifth novel The Shark Mutiny pairs Arnold Morgan, the ageing but still powerful national security adviser who stars in the author's previous titles (Nimitz Class, Kilo Class) with a new young naval intelligence officer named Ramshawe--one of the few characters with more personality than the military hardware on which Robinson lavishes most of his attention in this somewhat pedestrian tale.

Ramshawe's commanding officer ignores his warnings about a Russian airplane carrying a lethal cargo of sea mines to a Chinese naval base and the subsequent movement of Chinese warships flying the flag of Iran in the Strait of Hormuz, even when an American oil tanker explodes in the Persian Gulf. Unable to convince his Admiral that the events are connected, the junior hotshot ignores the chain of command and takes his suspicions to Morgan. When more oil tankers blow up and it becomes clear that the Chinese have mined the strait in order to drive oil prices up and destabilise the economy, Morgan deploys the US Navy to the Gulf. Included in the force are a couple of SEAL teams on a submarine--but the sub is commanded by a deranged captain who believes he's the reincarnated spirit of the French naval officer defeated by Nelson at Trafalgar, so the SEALs are forced to stage a mutiny in order to carry out their mission. Meanwhile, it turns out China has another target in its sights, halfway around the world: its neighbour Taiwan. So the Taiwanese air force must fight off the attack on its territory with no help from the US Navy, which is committed in the Gulf.

There's enough weaponry and military manoeuvring here to keep fans of Clancy, Coonts, and Dale Brown happy, but it may be past time for the curmudgeonly Morgan to retire and let a new series hero like Ramshawe take over. --Jane Adams, Amazon.com

Review:

"Robinson is one of the crown princes of the beach-read thriller" (Stephen Coonts)

"Fast, sharply-focussed, engine-driven action." (Express)

"Watch out for Robinson. He is in the same league as Clancy." (Birmingham Post)

"Robinson rules the waves -- matches Clancy at his best" (Northern Echo)

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