NIGHT STALKERS 7 NEPTUNE THUNDER BY DUNCAN LONG

Copyright 1991.

The Night Stalkers under Jefferson “Oz” Davis Carson are evacuating civilians from a war torn west African country. After that is done there is little time to relax as the task force is assigned to Britain. The IRA is plotting to blow up the Chunnel. They have already stolen plenty of explosives and have shot down a Royal Navy helicopter. While on a break in a pub Oz is kidnapped by the IRA. He manages to escape but finds out that a highly placed traitor in the British army has framed them. Now Oz and the Night Stalkers must break out and stop the IRA before they succeed in flooding the Chunnel.

The seventh book takes the team to Britain and the fight against the IRA. Once again a real country with a real terrorist group. This one has plenty of action with the IRA managing to steal all sorts of high tech weapons including surface to air missiles and armored cars. I admit that I wondered how an elite helicopter unit would fit in a battle against the IRA. Duncan manages to craft a story that fits the team right into some off the wall action. I give the author credit for coming up with different settings for each book.

NIGHT STALKERS 6 SHINING PATH BY DUNCAN LONG

Copyright 1991.

The Vice President of the U.S. is on a mission to Peru. Captain Jefferson “Oz” Davis Carson and his Night Stalkers are assigned to escort him. The vicious terrorist insurgency Sendero Luminoso or The Shining Path plan to attack the meeting and take the Vice President and Peruvian president hostage. They succeed and now Oz and his men must stage a daring rescue.

In a subplot an American geologist Harlan Lloyd is helping a small village fight off Shining Path guerrillas while searching for gold. He finds it and manages to get the Peruvian government to send help. The Night Stalkers are also assigned after the successful mission to rescue the Vice President. With Peruvian special forces, some civilian contractors with a new automated weapon system and the Night Stalkers they fight off hordes of Shining Path to save the village.

So this entry in the series actually is set in a real country. A real country with a very real insurgent group. The Shining Path did terrorize the countryside in the ’80s and ’90s. Formed by a crackpot Marxist philosophy professor the group combined the teachings of Mao with Incan mysticism. I like that they use real settings and terrorist groups instead of fictional countries. It makes it more realistic. This was actually two stories in one book. The first was the drama with the attempted kidnapping of the VP and Peruvian president. A subplot with the American engineer then merges into the main story line for the end of the book. I enjoyed this story. Plenty of action and an informative history lesson about Peru.

NIGHT STALKERS 5 SEA WOLF BY DUNCAN LONG

Copyright 1991.

Lieutenant Erin Croll of the Royal Navy has just been passed over for promotion. He is also a psychopath. So what do psychopaths who control a destroyer do when they are passed over. In Croll’s case he arranges to take over the HMS Fox with like minded men and go into the business of a pirate. His mutineers mercilessly gun down the crew not in the mutiny and then they fake the sinking of the ship. Then its off to the Caribbean. A drug lord they were going to work for betrays them so Croll goes into business for himself. He raids drug shipments from the drug lord and also decides to capture pleasure yachts, kill the crew and sell the boats. He is making a fortune.

The many disappearances are noticed and the U.S. government decides to sent the Night Stalkers under Captain Jefferson “Oz” Davis Carson to investigate. Operating from the new battleship Montana they soon discover the renegade destroyer. His elite choppers and the battleship go up against the destroyer in an exciting showdown.

So this entry has a new twist. A psycho takes over a destroyer and goes into the business of piracy. A bit far fetched but within the realm of possible. The way they accomplish it was believable and I suppose that that would get themselves a tidy fortune. I guess the author didn’t know that the days of the battleship were fast approaching it’s end. Not only would they never commission a new one but the ones currently active were soon to be turned into floating museums because those WWII behemoths were very expensive. I give high marks for coming up with a unique and original idea for a story.

NIGHT STALKERS 4 DESERT WIND BY DUNCAN LONG

Copyright 1991.

The nation of East Sahra is about to erupt into a civil war. Formed from the parts of the former Western Sahara territory it was given to a loyal Bedouin tribe by Morocco for its help in putting down the Polisario Front. Now minority tribes are arming against the dominant tribe and its king. America sends the Night Stalkers on a mission of peace. Their job to escort the crown prince to a peace conference. Right away the mission runs into trouble as unmarked Mirage fighter jets attack the mission destroying half the helicopters. Later they deliver the prince but he is kidnapped after someone spikes the food for the conference. Now Captain Jefferson “Oz” Davis and his helicopters must track down the kidnapped prince. They have to negotiate a hostile government, warring tribes, bandits and a Marxist rebel group to stop a bloody civil war.

So the fourth one has the Night Stalkers go to this fictional country in Africa. Also once again they have plenty of action including some very improbable fights with jet fighters that are shot down using anti-tank missiles. The plot is fast paced with many twists and turns to keep the reader’s interest. Filled with conspiracies, assassins, foreign intrigue and a government plot make this another fun entry in the series.

NIGHT STALKERS 3 TWILIGHT JUSTICE BY DUNCAN LONG

Copyright 1990.

The Paris air show is going on and Jefferson “Oz” Davis and his Night Stalkers are there to show off their skills. The Soviets have also send their best in the new Hind-K helicopters. The big attraction is the new XA-2011 Superstealth bomber. This new craft can actually turn invisible thanks to it’s advanced mini-cameras that cover it. It also has it’s own small nuclear reactor. Well such an advanced craft is stolen during the show. Captain Oz and the Night Stalkers are tasked with retrieving the stolen aircraft. The chase leads them all over Western Europe and ends with a Belgian arms industrialist who plans to sell it to the highest bidder. They also have to race the Soviets are also out to get this plane.

So the third book takes TF160 to Europe and a search for the missing Superstealth. Now this book was a little goofy what with an invisible airplane with a nuclear reactor. OK and they also have the bad guys raid a nuclear power plant for fuel which was accomplished way too easy. At least I hope it isn’t that easy to attack a nuclear plant and steal plutonium. Also the copters are battling the jets of the industrialist and they are using TOW and Hellfire missiles against jet fighters. Now these missiles were designed for anti-armor not anti-air. Still the story was fast paced and if you just turn your mind off you can have an enjoyable read.

NIGHT STALKERS 2 GRIM REAPER BY DUNCAN LONG

Copyright 1990.

In the final days of World War II the Japanese launched balloons toward Australia. The balloons carried a deadly bacteria that causes homicidal paranoia in its victims. Fortunately the balloons fell harmlessly into the ocean. One made it to Antarctica where it’s deadly payload remained preserved in the ice. Now in 1990 a nearby American research base has unearthed the balloon. In opening it they release the bacteria on the base. The nuclear submarine USS Oklahoma sends a medical team to help with the outbreak. Only the bacteria infects the crew. Soon a rogue nuclear submarine with a paranoid crew roams the ocean. The bacteria also spreads to the nearby Soviet base that has a contingent of Spetsnaz stationed there. Fortunately captain Oz and the Night Stalkers are stationed in the Antarctic to test new anti-submarine weapons. So now Oz and his helicopter/Delta force must stop the rogue Oklahoma before it starts WWIII while fighting off the crazed Spetsnaz that are attacking them.

The second book has a very unique idea set in a part of the world that doesn’t usually get much attention. Based on a real scenario from history. The Japanese did launch balloons with incendiary devices to drift over the Pacific Northwest. They did cause some damaging forest fires and kill a few people. They also were actively experimenting with biological weapons so this scenario basis has a historical basis to it. I enjoyed the exotic setting of the Antarctic with this weapon from the past. Long managed to come up with some unique scenarios to his plots and writes a fast paced action thriller.