The Malacca Conspiracy by Don Brown

Book description:

Set in Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the United States, The Malacca Conspiracy is a bone-chilling tale of terrorism on the high seas, of political assassination and nuclear brinkmanship. And for Zack and Diane—your favorite JAG characters from Don Brown’s popular Navy Justice Series—a story of hope for a longstanding romance that is now or never.



When a dastardly plot is hatched in the Malaysian seaport of Malacca to attack civilian oil tankers at sea, to drive up the price of crude oil futures, and to assassinate the Indonesian president and use fat windfall profits to finance a nuclear attack against American cities, Navy JAG officers Zack Brewer and Diane Cocernian reunite in a sizzling race against the clock to foil the conspiracy before disaster strikes.


But as President Mack Williams sends ships of the U.S. Seventh Fleet towards the Malacca Straights to reassert control over the sea lanes, will Navy JAG officers Zack Brewer and Diane Colcernian survive this dangerous and final high-stakes drama of life and death?


You won’t be able to put this thriller down until you find out.

My review:

Great book, the type that is right up my alley: suspense, a lot of action, very pro-military and pro-American.

This book is not part of Brown's Naval Justice Series, but contains the hero and heroine of those books, Zack Brewer and Diane Cocernian, whose relationship finally gets resolved in this book.

This book had a great, but scary plot. There is a takeover of Indonesia by radical Muslims, who then make unreasonable demands on the USA. There is a lot of action going on in different places, and the book bounces around a lot, but it is easy to keep up as the author always states the where and time of what is going on.

I started reading this book on Monday when it came in the mail, and also finished it Monday. It was an awesome read, and not only was I pulled into the story by the action and suspense, but also by the realization that the things in the book could happen - a scary, but true fact. This is one of those books where bad things happen, but also good.

I have been impressed with all of Don Brown's books. As a former JAG officer, I feel he presents a realistic look at what goes on in the Navy and also in the realm of JAG, yet he keeps a strong Christian element in his book, and there are no bad language issues in his books.

His books are probably more something men would enjoy, but any woman who enjoys military action novels will enjoy them.

And one last note: although two characters from his series are in this book, and reference is made to previous actions of theirs, this book could be read without reading the series.

A very highly recommended book.

About the author:

Don Brown is the author of Treason, Hostage, and Defiance, and Black Sea Affair, a submarine thriller that predicted the 2008 shooting war between Russia and Georgia. Don served five years in the U.S. Navy as an officer in the Judge Advocate General's (JAG) Corps gave him an exceptional vantage point into both the Navy and the inner workings of "inside-the-beltway" as an action officer assigned to the pentagon. He left active duty in 1992 to pursue private practice, but remained on inactive status through 1999, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Commander. He and his family live in North Carolina, where he pursues his passion for penning novels about the Navy.

Author website: http://www.donbrownbooks.com/

The Malacca Conspiracy is available from Zondervan Publishing.

Thanks to Zondervan for the review copy.