Final Bearing

Final Bearing

From BooklistNovelist Keith and retired submariner Wallace agreeably join forces in this thriller of submarines versus drug lord Juan de Santiago, whose ambitions seem to run to being a Colombian Saddam Hussein. Facing him are a DEA agent who has been fighting Santiago for years, and Bill Beaman, the leader of a team of Navy SEALs operating off the aging attack submarine Spadefish, commanded by Jonathan Ward. The action proceeds and in some places wanders from Colombia to Seattle, Washington, and across the land and under the sea, too, realizing a full quota of vivid combat scenes and a comparatively high body count along the way. Disbelief that drug-lord dictators could find high-tech subs handy must be suspended, but once it is, heck, relax and enjoy. And if you're aware of what sailors feel when a beloved ship reaches the end of her career, the book eventually achieves real power. Above average for its salty breed. Roland GreenCopyright American Library Association. All rights reservedProduct DescriptionJuan de Santiago is not only a billionaire coca grower. He is also a deranged revolutionary, the commander of the most powerful private army in South America. Backed by power-hungry rogue nations who supply him with the latest weaponry, de Santiago devices a plan that will dishearten the American antidrug effort and make him El Jefe once and for all.A successful soldier in Florida's antidrug war, Tom Kincaid is an expert on Colombia, with connections that lead directly to Juan de Santiago himself. But when U.S. politicians demand a publicity-driven drug bust, they blow the cover of Kincaid's carefully crafted network, leaving most of his informants dead, and get the DEA agent exiled to the relative backwater of Seattle.Commander Jonathan Ward and his crew on the old attack sub Spadefish are on one last mission. They are to launch a strike that will put de Santiago and his empire out of business for good. They are getting help from Bill Beaman and his SEAL team, who are searching for the secret laboratories of de Santiago. Following deep jungle trails and hiking the lofty mountains of the ancient Inca Empire, they are intent on driving a stake through the heart of de Santiago's drug empire.But there is a leak in the Colombian government, and Beaman and his SEALs are being stalked. From the old highways of the Incas to the plush haciendas of the drug lords, guerrilla armies are lurking, striking out at those who threaten their lucrative trade. And at the same time, a futuristic minisub leaves Colombia. Destination: Seattle. And it is loaded with the most lethal, addictive substance known to man.ReviewGeorge Wallace and Don Keith take you to the heart of the action as America fights a secret battle in a brilliantly portrayed South American setting. This team spins a great tale.-W. E. B. Griffin, author of the bestselling series Brotherhood of War, The Corps, Honor Bound, and Men at WarFinal Bearing is a rip-snorting submarine adventure as up-to-date as tomorrow's headlines.-Stephen Coonts, New York Times bestselling author of America and CubaCompelling characters, exciting plot, exotic settings, and a fascinating use of military technology combine to make Commander Wallace and Mr. Keith's book a rousing, blockbuster of a story.-Robert Vaughan, author of Touch the Face of GodAbout the AuthorRaised on a farm in eastern Ohio, Commander George Wallace CDR USN (ret) served twenty-two years on nuclear submarines. He learned submarining on two of Admiral Rickover's famous Forty One for Freedom, the USS John Adams (SSBN 620) and the USS Woodrow Wilson (SSBN 624), out of Charleston SC. CDR Wallace was the Executive Officer on the Sturgeon class nuclear attack submarine Spadefish (SSN 668) out of Norfolk VA and commanded the Los Angeles class nuclear attack submarine USS Houston (SSN 713) out of San Diego CA and Pearl Harbor HI.An avid athlete, Commander Wallace was a member of the 1994 All Navy Iro