Barracuda Run

I did like this story with its shades of Hunt for Red October. The three main parts of the story dealt with Manning in the enemy camp, Grimaldi on the run in the jungle and PF trying to find their missing colleagues. of these I found the Grimaldi story to be the most interesting, with the PF story being the weakest. The guys acted really unprofessionally for so called experts, including shouting at each other when sneaking up on enemy positions. I guess I would have liked to see more techno thriller in the story rather than how much coca-cola McCarter can guzzle before going into battle (seriously, have you ever tried running with a belly full of cola? It hurts). But the story lost points for its rubbish ending. Rather than have Grimaldi fly the Russian jet out of Guatemala and McCarter fly the drragon slayer, it now turns out that McCarter is a fully qualified jet fighter pilot and this he learnt when in the British SAS. This was total rubbish, including the air combat with a KGB agent who is also a fighter pilot. Complete nonsense and it loses a couple of stars for me.

Wow!! What an amazing book. This book is definitely in the top 10 of Phoenix Force books, Maybe even in the top 5! This author is batting 1000 he hasn't missed a beat. There are so many good things that I can say about this book. My favorites parts are Jack And Dragon Slayer. Enzio's little surprise for that scumbag gun runner. And McCarter Flying Barracuda and Dog Fighting with the other Mig. This book is a cut above the rest. A MUST read for fans of Phoenix Force. 10 Stars.

Well how good is this? obviously by the rating I thought it was a fantastic read. Where to start? The prologue is as good a place as any as this title has one and we find a Russian pilot has defected to the US with a prototype of the newest MIG fighter but has force landed in the Guatemalan jungle. A brilliantly written psychotic KGB operative on board the aircraft carrier where the jet took off from organises a recovery operation. Jack and Gary currently doing trials of Dragon Slayer are diverted to the crash site to rescue the defecting pilot and if possible the aircraft as well or destroy it. Now trying to give as little away as possible Jack, Gary and the pilot are captured by Spetsnaz troops deployed by the KGB guy. Jack is separated from the captives whilst the other two are taken to the terrorist base where these troops training terrorists. Gary is subjected to interrogation by a mean son of a bitch Russian and let me tell you he takes an absolute physical bashing where you start to wince while reading it. The Team are inserted on a retrieval mission and some of the action scenes are fantastic reading. What happens with Jorge locked in the hut set up by Encizo when he is told NOT to try to exit through the door well you just have to read it. Jack where he makes his way back to Dragon Slayer is just fantastic reading again on how it happens to get there, what happens when he arrives at the site of Dragon Slayer which is guarded by troops and yep what happens. Very believable escape by Gary and fine reading where a bit of retribution is extracted for past wrongs. Excellent lead up and actual attack of the enemy base with action scenes blazing on all fronts keeping you flicking the pages over. Last but not least a brilliant ending with David flying the prototype MIG which is unarmed and in a dog fight with the psychotic KGB operative flying a MIG which is certainly armed with everything including the kitchen sink. Well this is number 48 of 51 released in this series having read them all and disregarding extra stuff outside the series this title and #30 The Bonn Blitz are the standout titles to date. If you want to read this series for the first time or have read some of these titles but not this one do yourself a favour and grab a copy you WILL NOT be disappointed. HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED reading in this series.

This is an outstanding novel in the PF series. Linaker's writing style is one of my favorite to read, and he tells a good fast moving story with lots of the action and ass kicking the Force does best. Jack Grimaldi is in this book, I enjoyed his role, showing he is more than just a flyboy, but can be another member of the force if he wanted to. Manning's capture and escape was done very well, and the book ended with a great rescue as well as recovery of the russian jet. The ending with McCarter flying the jet was awesome. Dragonslayer also gets some action. I highly recommend this entry in the series, one of the best in my opinion, and I look forward to more of Linaker's books. Great stuff!

A classic from Linaker with more Grimaldi and Dragon Slayer. Loved the scene with McCarter bickering with one of the bad guys on a radio. Great stuff!