A Fine and Private War

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Summary: A new breed of Heroes set sail into a 'do or die' adventure.
Review: A Fine and Private War is a full out action/adventure story in which a group of middle-aged corporate heads and their equally able wives are threatened by Jinnah, an international terrorist who has kidnaped and mutilated one of their grandchildren . Pay him 'One Billion Dollars' within six months, and hand over their jointly owned yacht Seafire, a former navy destroyer, or their loved ones will be killed.
Led by George Holbrook, a test pilot and former navy flyer, the group pretends to give into Jinnah's demands while secretly plotting to fight the terrorist. And as if things weren't already exciting enough, the U.S. Coast Guard believing the Seafire is smuggling weapons fires upon the ship as it sails from Boston harbor to a show-down with Jinnah half way around the world. Great plot with lots of twists and turns.

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Summary: Magnificent! A techno thriller of high suspense.
Review: A Fine and Private War serves up a veritable banquet of thrilling suspense as the confluence of events plunges the reader into the world of terrorism. A diverse group of people bought shares in an old Navy destroyer that was transformed into a yacht called Seafire. A terrorist leader has his own plans for the Seafire and for monetary extortion. He will stop at nothing to get what he wants.

George Holbrook, a tough ex Navy veteran and one of the owners, is elected by his constituents to devise a plan to deal with Jinnah, the terrorist leader. They can meet the extortion with their combined incomes as Jinnah proved when he provided files on each of them that detailed their assets. Besides the yacht, he is demanding one billion dollars. The question uppermost in Holbrook's mind is, what does he want to do with the money? Little does this group know how their lives are about to change by the decisions they make.

This is a `techno thriller' equal to anything written. Mr. Van Tine is an extremely talented writer destined to join the ranks of Tom Clancy and other writers in this genre. It is a riveting tale that will make a fine movie. Don't miss out on one of the best books to be released in the new millennium.

Carol Kluz is the coauthor of Countermeasures (suspense) and author of (The Prophecy Unfolds (fantasy).

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Summary: A fine and private war
Review: EXCELLENT book! A great read!! This is right up there alongside Tom Clancy, R.J. Pineiro, and David Hagberg. If this is Van Tine's first novel, I can hardly wait for the next ones, as they can only get even better. If you like a good techno-thriller, this is the one for you.

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Summary: A fine and private war
Review: I couldn't put it down. Stuart M. Van Tine obviously has lived at least part of this story himself. A former "blackshoe" destroyer sailor, he remembers the fine details of the ship and life at sea which add immeasurably to the story. The technology is believable, and either real or just over the horizon, and he makes it come alive. The same is true of his characters. This is simply an outstanding first novel. There clearly is room in the plot for a continuing series of books, and I hope he writes them!

Rating:
Summary: Simply outstanding
Review: I couldn't put it down. Stuart M. Van Tine obviously has lived at least part of this story himself. A former "blackshoe" destroyer sailor, he remembers the fine details of the ship and life at sea which add immeasurably to the story. The technology is believable, and either real or just over the horizon, and he makes it come alive. The same is true of his characters. This is simply an outstanding first novel. There clearly is room in the plot for a continuing series of books, and I hope he writes them!

Rating:
Summary: A deftly written technothriller novel
Review: Stuart M. Van Tine's A Fine And Private War is a deftly written technothriller novel. Jinnah is a dedicated terrorist who extorts wealthy westerners for enough money to purchase a state-of-the-art ship and nuclear weapons. It's up to George Holbrook, an ex-CIA operative and a military test pilot to oppose Jinnah and turn the terrorist's high-technology ship into a kind of Trojan horse. A Fine And Private War is a tense, exciting, highly recommended story for the action/adventure enthusiast.