SILENT ENEMY by Thomas W. Young

By the time I finished listening to this book, I was weary and spent…..and ready to take off on another mission with these officers.

Not one to read many military-related books, I wasn’t sure what to expect from SILENT ENEMY. It surpassed any expectations and quickly drew me in.

Author Thomas W. Young’s vivid descriptions and detailed explanations places the reader right in the middle of the action. Drawing on his own Air National Guard experience in the Middle East, Young brings the sights, sounds and smells to life with authenticity. Narrator Scott Brick gives emotion and depth to the characters and their situation.

While SILENT ENEMY begins four years after THE MULLAH’S STORM, it is a stand alone book. References to the prior book are woven in as memories and add to the flow of the current story.

A bomb blast levels the Afghan National Police training facility in Kabul where Army Sergeant Major Sophia Gold teaches. She has minor injuries, but her students are critically injured and need immediate medical aid. Air Force Major Michael Parson, his crew and his C-5 Galaxy military transport plane are commandeered to help transfer victims. It’s the first time Parson and Gold have met since their ordeal in THE MULLAH’S STORM.

The plant isn’t designed to act as a medical transport, but all goes fairly well. That is until other planes that departed Kabul at the same time begin to blow up. Parson and his crew learn terrorists have somehow placed bombs on the military carriers that are set to explode at a certain point when the plane descends.

Not one to do nothing, Parson has the plane searched and discovers the bomb. Now he and his crew must detonate the bomb before they can land. However, all on board don’t want the plane to land safely. The crew also has to handle risky midair refueling, fly over multiple foreign governments, and encounter dangerous weather conditions, not to mention their own mental and physical exhaustion.

This is a riveting adventure that is non-stop from take-off until the fiery end. From one calamity to the next, you barely have time to catch your breath. The pulse-pounding adrenaline rush will keep you on the edge of your seat.

There may appear to be too many disasters for one flight, but Young makes it plausible. In an airborne situation such as this one disaster can trigger another given the circumstances and it becomes almost a snowball effect.

Make no mistake this is a military thriller. The author deals with problems both military and civilians face in war-torn countries. It is graphic at times as to what war does to people. The story is told back and forth from the viewpoint of Parson and his military training to Gold and her dedication to helping the civilians. I also found just a tiny hint of romantic undertone between Parson and Gold while both continued to be dedicated officers.

For an adrenaline-driven read that you won’t be able to put down, read SILENT ENEMY.

Author Thomas W. Young’s website is www.thomaswyoung.com.

Silent Enemy by Thomas W. Young, Read by Scott Brick, Penguin Audio, @2011, ISBN: 9781101523414, Unabridged Digital, Listening Time: 8 hours (Hardcover is also available through G.P. Putnam’s Sons.)

FTC Full Disclosure - I requested this digital audio and it was sent to me by the publisher in hopes I would review it. However, receiving the complimentary copy did not influence my review.