From Publishers Weekly
Bestseller Johansen (Quicksand) and her Edgar-winning son, Roy (Deadly Visions), collaborate on their first thriller with entertaining results. Hannah Bryson, a top-notch submarine designer, and her brother, Conner, must make sure that a Russian nuclear submarine, the Silent Thunder , recently purchased by the U.S. government for use as a maritime museum, is safe for visitors. Working alone on the sub in a Maine harbor, the two make a strange discovery that's swiftly followed by a deadly attack. Others, both Russian and American, want what the Brysons have uncovered and will stop at nothing to obtain it. One Russian, Nicolas Kirov, has a special interest in the submarine as well as a growing interest in the feisty, beautiful Hannah. The constantly bickering Hannah and Kirov are forced to work together for a common goal as they fight various enemies and, of course, fall in love. The romantic subplot threatens to take over the action, but is thankfully reined in at the exciting finale. 12-city author tour. (July)
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From
The cold war heats up again in Johansen’s latest thriller, when marine architect Hannah Bryson’s brother, Connor, is killed in an explosion aboard a decommissioned Russian submarine they’re preparing for a nautical museum exhibit. Although the U.S. government official appointed to handle the investigation wants Hannah to believe Connor’s death was accidental, Hannah thinks otherwise. Just minutes before he died, Connor discovered cryptic symbols etched into metal panels hidden deep within Silent Thunder, and Hannah knows that if she’s ever to learn the truth about her brother’s murder, she’ll have to solve the code’s mystery. Doing so, however, involves her in a protracted feud between two Russian operatives, Kirov and Pavski, who have a blatant disregard for human life when their missions are threatened. It’s clearly a case of not knowing who one’s friends or enemies are, as Hannah has to decide if Kirov’s deep-seated hatred of Pavski equals her own need for revenge. Though the inherent distrust of all things related to Russia and its military complex has long been a staple of the international thriller genre—and, as such, runs the risk of appearing trite and stale—Johansen’s collaboration with her crime-novelist son imbues their saga with muscular characters and a brisk immediacy that keep it gripping and relevant. --Carol Haggas