Storming Heaven

Brown ( Chains of Command ) shamelessly promotes himself and his previous works in his eighth aeronautical techno-thriller. Thus, this unwieldy tale of domestic terrorism includes forces and characters (notably maverick Coast Guard Rear Admiral Ian Hardcastle) from prior books, as well as gratuitious self-references ("They had gotten that idea from a techno-thriller novel published a few years back . . . called Hammerheads "; or, "This is not some Dale Brown novel, this is real-life"). Supervillain Henri Cazaux, rich beyond measure from drug- and gun-running, has vowed revenge upon the U.S. government for abuse he suffered at the hands of Air Force security police when, as a youth, he was caught dealing hashish to American troops. He begins by bombing major civilian airports; the government, which must predict his next targets and outwit him, eventually has to employ military forces over the skies of our largest cities.