“In Rules of Engagement, David Bruns and J. R. Olson deliver a captivating and utterly authentic portrayal of modern day combat that compares with the best of the timeless classics by Tom Clancy, Dale Brown, and Stephen Coonts. This one must not be missed ” –Mark Greaney, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Mission CriticalA terrorist breach of the computer systems of the three most … breach of the computer systems of the three most powerful navies is about to set them on a collision course for World War III.
Rafiq Roshed is one of the most wanted men in the world. A terrorist with a virulent grudge against the West, he’s disappeared into North Korea where he quietly launches cyber sneak attacks in service of Kim Jong-un. But now he’s about to unleash his virtual masterpiece–a computer virus that, once inserted into the command systems of a military, not only takes over, but also learns the art of war. First penetrating the Chinese, he has their war machine launch a series of attacks on the U.S. Pacific forces.
Don Riley, head of U.S. Cyber Command, discovers that not only have the Chinese lost control of their military, but the same virus has infected the American network. It’s only a matter of time before the U.S. loses control of its own military. His secret weapon in this war is a trio of supremely talented midshipmen from the U.S. Naval Academy, who uncover the infiltration, and are working to track down the elusive terrorist.
But time is running out. China and Japan have lost control of their military and the U.S. is in danger of doing the same. The weapons are hot and the result is an ever-larger real-world conflict where casualties continue to mount. The only remaining hope is to find and stop the attack at its source–before time runs out.
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In Rules of Engagement, David Bruns and J. R. Olson deliver a captivating and utterly authentic portrayal of modern day combat that compares with the best of the timeless classics by Tom Clancy, Dale Brown, and Stephen Coonts. This one must not be missed!
Even though this is part of the Weapons of Mass Deception series, I think a first-time reader would be able to enjoy it and perhaps wish to read the other books, later. If you enjoy a mash-up of International Intrigue, Technothriller, and Military/War then this book will be “right up your alley”.
Rules of Engagement is a classic thriller that has it all – compelling, realistic action, vivid characters and a relentless pace. You won’t be able to put it down!
While reading this book, you might just wonder if it could really happen. If it did, do we have these kinds of defenders to prevent utter devastation? I certainly hope so.
If you like Tom Clancy you’ll definitely enjoy this cyberwarfare thriller. The authors are both former naval officers and their firsthand knowledge of the inner workings of international politics & armed forces shows in Rules of Engagement. This is what I call a ‘potato chip book’, you can’t just read one chapter. It’s super fast paced with lots of action and takes place all over the world. While this was my first novel by these guys, it won’t be my last! I won this book in a giveaway.
Realistic Cyber attack by an Accomplished Terrorist!
One- Russian Brotherhood contract with Kim Jung-un’s fixer and an international terrorist.
Two- Countries with viruses invading their military cyber-systems and threatening the US Systems.
Three- Mid-shipmen pulled from their classes to deal with a defcon 3 level emergency.
A thriller in the style of the masters (i.e. Clancy, Cussler), kept my interest to the end, by which point I stayed up until it was finished (1:45 AM). The story deals with realistic problems the nations face today, with very human (read—fallible) people caught up in their passions and then trapped, and used to support the purposes of ‘evil’ power holders. In the end, both brainpower and brain overcome the threat, but not without loss of life by Heroes.
I did did find a lack of depth of characters and depth of descriptive writing, in comparison to, say, Tom Clancy. Perhaps, with time, and maturation as authors, these things will come. But the skeleton of a darn good story is well built here. (4.5 stars, rounded up to 5)
I received this book from Goodreads as a gift. My review is voluntary. I look forward to reading others works by these authors.
A very current storyline from a fairly enjoyable pair of authors. My only caution is that the ending felt rushed and the Russians and Chinese deserved more punishment than was meted out.
In this terrifying age of hacking that threatens not only our elections, but every infrastructure from our power grid to our economic system, the ultimate threat would be a cyber war that touched off a shooting war. Rules of Engagement lays out that highly plausible scenario in one of those fantastic novels that is hard to put down. Hell of a fine read!
Timely, gripping, and packed with realistic detail, Rules of Engagement grabs you from the start and doesn’t let go. I’ll read anything Bruns and Olson write.