Arctic Storm Rising: Nick Flynn #1    by Dale Brown Order:  USA  Can William Morrow, 2021 (2021) Hardcover, Softcover, Audio, e-Book      Reviewed by Hilary Williamson Renowned military adventure writer (and former U.S. Air Force captain) Dale Brown brings his legion of fans a new action hero in this first in a series, Arctic Storm Rising. Nicholas Flynn is a U.S. Air Force intelligence officer. As the novel opens, readers meet Russian Air Force Colonel Alexei Petrov as he inspects a prototype long-range stealth bomber that he will soon be testing at the Chkalov center. He clearly has plans that don't match those of his superiors, and meets secretly with oligarch Dmitri Grishin - their plot involves 'a valley deep in the Alaska wilderness'. Readers also learn that Petrov has a terminal illness. In Libya, Nick comes in conflict with CIA operative Anderson White, who makes him the scapegoat for a failed CIA covert mission. Having learned that 'not all enemies necessarily wear different uniforms or speak different languages', Nick is then exiled to 'glorified sentry duty' at a remote radar post in Kaktovik, Alaska, and put in charge of a small Joint Force Security detail. As Russian plans - to conduct a simulated cruise missile strike with a full payload of real missiles, using the new bomber - progress, Nick works to turn his team of oddballs and misfits into an effective unit, with the help of Sergeant Andy Takirak. Meanwhile, Grishin's emissary makes an offer to the CIA to sell the prototype to the U.S.A., delivery in Alaska. What is really going on? The plot layers - and betrayals - that follow are reminiscent of a Russian Matryoshka doll. Crises escalate, along with winter storms that make intervention challenging. Finally, it's up to Flynn and his small team to parachute in, fight Spetsnaz commandos operating on American soil, and prevent a nuclear holocaust. As it ends, Nick is recruited to join a new outfit. I look forward to his next exploits. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Mystery books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews