Silent Thunder

by Iris Johansen and Roy Johansen

Book Overview

Marine architect Hannah Bryson has been given a priceless opportunity. A US maritime museum has just acquired the former pride of the Soviet fleet, the decommissioned submarine Silent Thunder, for public exhibition. Hannah must inspect every single inch of this legendary nuclear attack sub.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312367996
• ISBN13: 9780312367992
• Release Date: July 2008
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Length: 403 Pages
• Weight: 1.54 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.1" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

Powerful, excellent

Absolutely excellent! This really surprised me from Iris Johansen. Precise, concise and powerful. Thoroghly enjoyed and hope for a sequel!

Loud & Clear

I highly recommend this book. It is one of the best. Good combination of mother and son.Hope they do more

Great!!!!!!

This book is realllllllly good! The story line keeps you interested. I've read all of Iris Johansen's books and one of Roy's. They write very well together. I hope they keep coming with more.

A page turner with all the elements an espionage junkie could want

Just because the Cold War is over doesn't mean that fans of that era's international thrillers (think le Carré, Clancy) can't find a good read. In SILENT THUNDER, Iris and and Roy Johansen don't let the end of United States/Soviet tension stand in the way of a top-notch espionage yarn set in both the U.S. and the former USSR. Iris Johansen writes bestselling suspense fiction, and her son, Roy, has won the prestigious Edgar Award. Between them they have crafted a page turner with all the elements an espionage junkie could want: * A brilliant and beautiful heroine (marine researcher Hannah Bryson) * A mysterious stranger, Kirov, who may be Hannah's best shot --- or her last mistake * A Russian submarine (the decommissioned Silent Thunder) * An evil mastermind (the ruthless Pavski) * Fabled buried treasure (the Czech Golden Cradle) * A corrupt congressman blackmailed into playing with the bad guys * A shady CIA operative who keeps his eye on the prize * Imperiled children (Hannah's niece and nephew) * Undertones of a dangerous romance between Hannah and Kirov * A beautiful ex-KGB agent, Eugenia, who hasn't lost her touch, or her fondness for Kirov While all the requisites are there, SILENT THUNDER never moves into cartoonish territory, and the action and characters are strong enough so that, as in all good fiction, we suspend our disbelief. The adventure begins when Hannah is hired to examine the Silent Thunder. Once the pride of the Soviet submarine fleet, Silent Thunder has been acquired by a museum in Boston, and Hannah's job is to make sure that every inch is safe for the public. She and her brother, Connor, set about checking out the sub and discover some mysterious plates with incomprehensible signals etched in. Could they be important? An explosion on the ship that causes Connor's death answers that question. The plates are important to any number of people. But why? What do they mean? Connor's wife, Cathy, was a player in Washington, and she's still well connected. Cathy and Hannah determine to avenge Connor's death, but finding the responsible party means getting involved with a variety of shady characters. Pavski, a crazed Czech determined to find the fabled Golden Cradle, apparently believes that the plates hold the secret to its location. Kirov, a mysterious Soviet who faked his own death (or did he?), wants to get his hands on Pavski for his own reasons and isn't above using Hannah as bait. Bradworth, who works for the CIA, also wants Pavski and isn't very free with information, leaving Hannah and Cathy wary of trusting him. To Pavski and Kirov, Hannah is more afterthought than protagonist; she will serve her purpose, and what happens to her doesn't matter. To Hannah, finding the secret of the plates, and making Pavski accountable for her brother's death, are paramount. Trying to decipher the code on the plates is risky and complicated, involving a brilliant Soviet mathematician, a working k

Well-written story

Marine architect Hannah Bryson is on top of her game when she's contracted to inspect the Soviet submarine, Silent Thunder, which has recently been acquired by a U.S. maritime museum. Her task is to ready the nuclear attack sub for public exhibition. Hannah's brother and frequent partner, joins her to complete the project. It's a simple stop-gap job meant to fill a couple of weeks before she moves on to something else. Simple. Until it goes horribly wrong when Silent Thunder and all souls aboard suffer a deadly attack. Determined to discover the identity and deal with whoever is responsible, Hannah finds herself straddling a fine line between Russian connections and the CIA, wondering who she can trust. The mother-son Johansen writing team has put together an engrossing read. Detail and action, together with a solid plot, bring this well written co-effort together into a story that will absorb you. A few wonderful twists keep the forward propulsion working, and the interaction between Hannah and a dangerous, driven man with no compulsion to follow the rules, keeps the reader wondering. Silent Thunder should be on everyone's reading list. It's sure to be on the New York Time's list. Armchair Interviews says: Highly recommended.