STEEL FEAR

5 stars out of 5

It's been awhile since I read a book I really, really didn't want to put down - and ironically, it's one I almost didn't want to start. Why? It's got a military flair, one that includes a flawed hero and references to atrocities in dusty foreign countries that just isn't in my list of top mystery/thriller scenarios (nor, for that matter, is a setting mostly aboard a huge aircraft carrier with way too many cramped nooks and crannies that can trap unsuspecting victims and trigger claustrophobic gasps from readers like me). What a wonderful surprise, then, to be captivated from the git-go - and willingly held captive all the way to the super-exciting end.

The flawed hero goes by Finn - no other name. He's a Navy SEAL who's being picked up in Bahrain by a Navy helicopter to be on an aircraft carrier that's headed back to the United States. Finn's background isn't known, nor is the reason he's heading home (not even to him) - and clearly, he isn't a talkative sort anyway. But from the minute he's deposited on deck, he smells a rat; whether it's looking for a place to settle in or jump from a sinking ship Finn isn't sure. He starts getting suspicious, though, when a package he'd ordered to be sent to him on the carrier doesn't arrive. Then something far worse happens; one of the crew members suddenly disappears. With that, Finn digs in his heels and starts a surreptitious investigation.

Meanwhile, a top helicopter pilot has suspicions of her own; her best friend, also a pilot, died in one of the regular training runs. Pilot error, was the official cause - not possible, her friend insists. She, too, begins to conduct an investigation on the QT. The whole ship is run by a commander who wears his ineptitude on his sleeve like a medal - a man who literally turns his back as more of his crew fall victim to what Finn is sure is not only a deranged serial killer, but one of the carrier's own.

Finn, though, has more to worry about than the ever-more-dire situation on the carrier. All he can remember from his childhood years and his time in Bahrain is that in both instances, something went horribly wrong. But just thinking about either is enough to cause literal paralysis, both mentally and physically, prompting him to behave in ways that make the powers-that-be ever more certain that he's the one behind all the bad things that are happening onboard.

Needless to say, there's an abundance of action - and evidence piles up to suggest any number of suspects. And that's where I must stop lest I reveal too much. What I can say is wow - plus thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy. Outstanding!

Steel Fear by Brandon Webb and John David Mann (Bantam, July 2021); 464 pp.