“Tom Clancy fans open to a strong female lead will clamor for more.” – Publishers Weekly“Superb!” – Booklist starred review“The best military thriller I’ve read in a very long time. Love the female characters.” – Sheldon McArthur, founder of The Mystery Bookstore, LAA US Air Force C-130 transport plane, bearing top secret cargo, lies shattered in the Nevada desert at Groom Lake. China’s prototype … Lake. China’s prototype fifth-generation jet fighter goes missing.
Far above, a US supersonic, stealth drone flies a very lethal Black Op. The CIA, the US military command, and the secretive National Reconnaissance Office are all locked in a battle for control of the nation’s future.
Miranda Chase, the National Transportation Safety Board’s air-crash savant, lands in the center of the gathering maelstrom. Burdened with a new team and a polarizing personality, she must connect the pieces to stay alive. And she must do it before the wreckage of her past crashes down upon her and destroys US-China relations forever.
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I believe by the time I was 34% into the book, I surmised the ending — predictable !
Book is enjoyable from page 1 to the finish
Good read.
Never could connect with any of the characters. Kept waiting for the great mystery to be solved and it wasn’t so great. Sorry but the beginning of the book was clever and intriguing while the rest was ho-hum.
There are some strong but unusual characters in this story of a super secret aircraft. The view of many of our government agencies is not always positive and the CIA is cast as the bad guy again (even if it is mostly one person). The key character in this story comes from an unusual entry through investigating a strage crash in a protected location (area 54) and she pushes through interference and threats.
There some holes in the flow of the story but these are overcome by the good writing and the story line. Goes by quickly and was fun.
I found the book very enjoyable with believable stretches and great characters. The action was great and I especially enjoyed the rapid pace that led to a great conclusion.
This book led me to buy the next two of the series and look forward to the next book due out in June. As a retired Air Force Master Sergeant I found very little to find fault with except some very minor issues, mostly in the Condor book. I spent 16 years at Dover AFB working on C-5A & B models and even probably worked on 0488 and 0020 during Desert Storm. Well done!!!
MSGT David Varley (retried)
Good development of characters with good interactions. Not typical hero type.
Badass techie heroine.
If you’re into airplanes and wonder how accidents are investigated, this novel will grab you. Its not always easy reading with the aircraft names and parts but it’s the first of a series about a talented yet reclusive female investigator and the crew she assembles that become family.
Quirky main characters are a feature of M.L Buchman books. Miranda Chase is a new one and Buchman understands her well. He also writes about all his characters, not just the prime ones with humanity and humor.
The squeaky difficult parts of the story are well done also.
Then there’s the science, whether it’s aeronautics or metalurgy it’s done with enough explanation to understand. It’s also done with continuity and the daisy chaining necessary for us readers to be able to take guesses as to what’s going to be discovered.
Yes, it’s fast, and has twists. But, in the end it’s satisfying. Thank goodness there are three more books in this series.
I stopped reading the book after reading about 1/3 of it. The story was moving to slow and author used to much filthy language and way to much descriptive alex. One whole chapter was nothing but a sex scene. Nether the language or the sex is necessary to tell the story. It’s too bad writers don’t seem to think they are good enough at writing that they feel they need to add junk to attract readers.
4.25 stars
“Drone” by M.L. Buchman is an intense thriller that introduces Miranda Chase in the debut novel for her series. A mysterious aircraft crash in a very restricted area is Miranda’s newest assignment, but not only is she stymied at every turn in her quest to perform her duties, she is also saddled with a new team. There are mysteries underlying the mysteries, but careful analysis may be the clue to uncovering a shocking revelation that will reverberate around the world.
I will start by offering a trigger warning. Those who are sensitive to scenes of sexual abuse should be aware that there are multiple references sprinkled through the story. Personally, I had to step away from the book a couple of times, but I AM glad that I finished the story because it is an entertaining and compelling tale, and I like Miranda and would like to read more of the series. I was disturbed by the initial allusions of abuse that set up the background for a couple of the women, and although I understood that some of this was to lay the groundwork for motivation…I was sickened by the multiple descriptions of power inequity.
Fortunately, I did continue. As usual, this author introduces complex characters who are adept at confounding and fascinating both one another and the reader. There are multiple points of view, with a glimpse of the power games that nations play, and a thought-provoking demonstration of the price that many pay for machinations that may be part of a very long game. There is a nicely contained mystery that unfolds even as we come to know the major players in this particular story but there are also dangling threads that undoubtedly will come into play in subsequent stories. Those who enjoy intricate and intense spy thrillers as well as wonderfully competent and insightful heroines should definitely give this book a try and get pulled into an entertaining new series.
A copy was provided for review
I volunteered to read and review an advanced readers copy of DRONE .
I was pulled in from the start . This story is one intense and intriguing rollercoaster ride of suspense . The characters are unique and interesting individuals . This story is full of twists and turns . It’s full of deceat , dedication , good , evil . It’s a well written story . I highly recommend taking the time to read and enjoy .