Book Talk: Thomas W. Young "Silent Enemy", an aviation thriller - Third Thursday

In the opening of Silent Enemy (published by Putnam), a terrorist bombing strikes the Afghan national police training center in Kabul. The wounded are loaded aboard an Air Force transport jet to fly them to Europe for treatment. But after takeoff, the crew learns jihadists have also placed a bomb on board the aircraft. If the jet descends for landing, the bomb will explode. Through aerial refueling, the aircraft can remain airborne for an extended time--but not forever. As the hours tick by, the mechanical condition of the plane deteriorates, the medical condition of the patients worsens, and the crew grows more and more exhausted. 

In a starred review, Publishers Weekly says "Aviation thriller aficionados will cheer, and readers of any genre will gnaw their fingernails to the quick." 

Booklist says "Fans of Clancy, Coonts, and Dale Brown need to add Young to their must read lists.” 

Thomas W. Young is a flight engineer with the West Virginia Air National Guard, and a veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan. Military honors include two Air Medals, three Aerial Achievement Medals, and the Air Force Combat Action Medal.