About Us
To China with Love Chapter One
Chapter 1
Outside, and directly to the right of the entry door to the diver lock-out chamber (AKA the wet-room), hung a waterproof monitor, and on it Henry, Jack’s good friend and sizable right-hand man, impatiently watched Jack make his way toward the tether cable via video captured by the permanently-affixed camera on the small deck of the mini-sub. But, just as was the case earlier with Agent One, as Jack approached the point of attachment, his image fell out of range of the camera, and so his activity fell off the monitor.
By “point of attachment,” I am referring to the place at which the sinking South Korean fishing boat was cabled to the mini-sub Jack and his SEAL team were using for their covert mission. The UOES3 Button 5.60, mini-sub selected for this operation was, at that time, headed against its will toward the bottom of the Yellow Sea under the tow of the ill-fated fishing boat.
Less than an hour earlier, one of the SEALs on board with Jack had attached a cable from the South Korean vessel so that the mini-sub could be secretly pulled out of the vicinity of the communist neighbor to the north. Those responsible for planning the mission thought it best if the mini-sub refrained from running any unnecessary mechanical equipment that might be detected by North Korean or Chinese patrols.
Unfortunately, even though they were now well south of the 38th parallel, a tenacious North Korean patrol boat had followed them across that imaginary line and sent the fishing boat toward the bottom by ramming it.
Henry took another look at his watch, and then impatiently addressed Agent Two.
“I’m gonna need some gear,” Henry said. “Can you fix me up? And in a hurry?!”
“Yes,” Agent Two said. “But you know what Jack said as well as I do. He told the both of us that if anything happened to him, while he was out there, give it half an hour, then cut him loose and, if at all possible, get the hell out of the area as fast as we can. … And, he also demanded that if for any reason, someone had to go back out, that it would be a SEAL, not you. He was very adamant about that. He gave you strict orders not to leave this sub. And he was, he is, the boss. I think it’s very clear that it’s my job to handle this from here. Not yours.”
Agent Two had also watched Jack disappear, but from a different screen.
“Listen to me!” Henry growled. “Jack said that I should be the one to pull him back in, if something goes wrong. So, just shut the hell up and help me get ready.”
“Have you ever done this before?” the agent asked.
“Of course,” Henry said. “I’ve dived a lot. Now, don’t waste any more of my time. Get that shit ready for me! And do it now!”
Agent Two knew that Henry was lying about everything.
continued….
SAULT – a thriller by Michael Carrier January 2, 2021 Action & Adventure Latest Jack Handler Thriller Deals With Soo Locks Explosion Review by Tyler R. Tichelaar
Sault: What Could be Worse than Great Lakes Erosion? is the fourteenth Jack Handler novel by Michael Carrier. That said, it can be read as a stand-alone book with little trouble. I have not yet read all of Michael Carrier’s books, but I have read the first several, so I was basically familiar with many of the main characters. Carrier makes it easy to follow the story, because he gives short, catch-up briefings on characters and events. Also, as a rather clever marketing strategy, he lets you know which books in the series to read if you want to know more about a character who previously made an appearance. Furthermore, at the end of the book is a summary of all the major characters in the series (though I wish this had been at the beginning).
If they have read the previous books, readers might feel a tad impatient with some of the back-story descriptions in the opening chapters, but Carrier moves through it clearly for new readers before venturing into the main story. The book soon becomes a page-turner.
Sault is really one of the most ingenious and frightening books in this series. The premise is that an explosion has happened at the Soo Locks. At first, it’s not clear who caused it or why, but it’s clearly some sort of terrorist act, whether domestic or international. I was a little disappointed that the explosion was not experienced directly by the main characters—there was a bit more telling than showing—but that’s because our hero, Jack Handler, is in New York when it happens. He’s there hunting down killers, and the narrative switches to New York to catch us up as Jack seeks closure for past wrongs from previous books. An entertaining couple of stupid criminals are involved in this escapade that takes place just before Jack learns of the explosion at the Sault.
Once Jack is aware of the terrorist event, he quickly returns to Michigan because his two adopted sons went on a fishing trip with his friend, nicknamed Legend, and now they are all missing. The explosion blew up two locks, causing a tsunami-like overflow of water through the locks and Great Lakes, causing all trace of the boys to be lost.
As Jack and his colleagues search for the boys, we learn more about the events leading up to the explosion. For some time, Legend has been theorizing that the Great Lakes’ water levels are artificially high because businessmen are manipulating them to make more money by being able to haul heavier cargoes while not having to spend money on dredging. The problem is the higher water levels threaten the homes and cabins of many who own lakeshore property. While the connection between the blowing up of the Soo Locks and water levels in the Great Lakes is not clear at first, as the novel progresses, more and more answers are found.
I won’t give away more of the plot, but there’s plenty of action for Jack Handler and the other characters. People are shot to be kept silent—the people who shoot them are also shot to be kept silent—and others are left stranded to die. Criminals operate under false names, and a former First Lady of the United States is involved in a crime-ring.
Best of all, readers will enjoy revisiting these characters and journeying back to the U.P., even if it has become devastated in many ways. The novel suggests the iron industry will suffer as a result of the destroyed locks, and an economic depression may ensue, but at least Jack Handler is able to right a few wrongs and save a few lives. He may not be Superman, but he can certainly handle most problems that come his way, so his name rather suits him.
If you like a good thriller, Michael Carrier is an author to check out. His plots are engaging, sometimes nail-biting, and his characters are as attractive and believable as any by Michael Connelly, James Patterson, or Steve Hamilton. And best of all, a fifteenth book, starting a new series within the series, is in the works.
Review by Dr. Tyler Tichelaar, author of Kawbawgam
PhD and award-winning author of When Teddy Came to Town and Kawbawgam