Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
CIA officers Kasey Sheridan and Walter Ho attempt to shield Chinese physicist Dr. Chen Li and his secret weapon from America's enemies in this excellent standalone from Thor (Edge of Honor) and Larson (Dark Vector). At the outset, Sheridan and Ho are relaxing with Li on an escape plane after smuggling the scientist out of China with a copy of Sky Fire, his game-changing military software. Then Chinese forces hack Hemisphere Airlines Flight 777 as it crosses the Arctic Circle, and the plane crashes on polar ice. As the 10 survivors attempt to stay alive in a freezing storm, the world's superpowers try to locate the wreckage and secure Li's secret weapon: the Chinese send an ice breaker, the Russians a state-of-the-art submarine, and the Americans a fast attack sub. Sheridan teams up with one of her fellow passengers, a former fighter pilot, to save the injured Chen and keep possession of Sky Fire, while Chinese, Russian, and American spies maneuver in the background. Meanwhile, the elements--and a polar bear--close in. Seamlessly fusing aspects of survival fiction and espionage thrillers, Thor and Larson serve up high-caliber suspense that keeps the pages flying. It's pure popcorn. Agent: Heide Lange, Sanford J. Greenburger Assoc. (Feb.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
Thor (Scot Horvath series) teams up terrifically with writer Ward Larsen (David Slaton series) for this fantastic politcal spy thriller. Dr. Chen Li has been working on a top-secret project for the Chinese government called Sky Fire, which utilizes a combination of AI and military technology. His program would make China the world's top military power. Terrified that the technology might be used to unethical ends, Li connects with Kasey Sheridan, a CIA operative. She helps him defect from China, and they flee the country on a plane headed for New York. Zhang Tao, China's ruthless head of counterintelligence, learns that Li is on the flight, and he orders his hackers to disable the flight's engines. The plane crashes near the North Pole, and the only survivors, Sheridan and the flight's copilot must live long enough to be rescued. They have no idea that Tao will do anything to possess Sky Fire, even if it means starting World War III in the remotest spot on Earth. VERDICT The suspense is palpable, and the icy North Pole scenes are so immersive that they should come with a blanket. Here's hoping for more collaborations from Thor and Larsen in the future.--Jeff Ayers
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