Arctic storm rising A novel

Brown, whose Patrick McLanahan thrillers have built him a large fan base, launches a new series. Nick Flynn is a disgraced U.S. Air Force intelligence operative, exiled to an assignment in Alaska. But wouldn't you know it: a new Russian stealth bomber on its maiden flight crashes into the Alaskan mountains, and it falls to Flynn to locate the missing aircraft before the Russians can get to it. There may be new characters and a new story here, but otherwise Brown sticks to what's been working: a huge cast (most of whom, except for the leads, are thinly drawn), terminology-heavy prose, nods to real-world tech (the missing plane is a PAK-DA, a real Russian plane currently in development), and a writing style that gets right to the point without any stylistic flair. The author's fans will give this one an enthusiastic thumbs-up, but readers who've never found Brown to be their cup of tea won't change their minds.

This strong series launch from bestseller Brown (Eagle Station) introduces Capt. Nick Flynn, a smart-mouthed U.S. Air Force intelligence officer banished to a remote outpost in Alaska, where he heads up a ragtag bunch of similar military outcasts with little real responsibility. Suddenly, his unit is ordered into emergency action. The Pentagon has received word that a Russian supersecret stealth bomber, commandeered by Col. Alexei Petrov, has landed somewhere in the Alaskan wilderness, and Petrov is asking for $2.6 billion in exchange for revealing its location. As a winter storm builds, Flynn and his men parachute into the frozen frontier, poorly supplied, a traitor in their ranks, and facing Russia's elite spetznaz fighters. The brisk plot showcases the latest military technology and warfare techniques. The rough-and-ready Flynn, a handsome rogue with good social skills and a doer's mentality, gets lost at times amid the large cast, but the ending suggests he'll play a more central role in his next outing. Brown consistently entertains. Agent: Robert Gottlieb, Trident Media Group. (May)

This first in a new series has U.S. Air Force intelligence officer Nick Flynn tasked with beating the Russians to the crash site after an American F-22 and a Russian aircraft meet head-on above Alaska's mountains--in the midst of a raging blizzard. What's worse: The Russians are also seeking a missing aircraft that has nuclear-armed stealth cruise missiles aboard. With a 125,000-copy first printing.