Fans of Mark Greaney and Brad Taylor should keep their eyes out for the upcoming first thriller in a new series from authors David Bruns and JR Olson.
The still-untitled first book features a plot involving a terrorist who works for North Korea who, using a computer virus, attempts to manipulate China, Japan, and the United States into a deadly war.
Exiled terrorist Rafiq Roshed, currently in the service and under the protection of North Korea, develops and unleashes a plan to exploit the tensions in the Pacific Rim between China, Japan, and the American Navy. His intention is to lead the US down a path of destruction. His motive is revenge. His weapon – a computer virus that takes over the military computers and “learns” – launching a series of attacks that forces the opposing force to respond and escalate.
The virus first takes over the Chinese military computers, forcing the Chinese war machine to launch a series of attacks on the US Pacific forces. Meanwhile, the CIA cyber analyst learns that not only have the Chinese lost control of their military, but the same virus has infected the network of the Pacific Fleet, and the US is in danger of also losing control of our their own military. As the war turns hot and casualties mount, there’s only one way to stop this from continuing it’s rapid escalation into World War III — a trio of young but supremely gifted midshipmen from the US Naval Academy track down the program at its source, and guide a special operations team to the well-protected base of the terrorist controlling it all.
Represented by John Talbot (Talbot Fortune Agency), Bruns and Olson signed a two-book deal with St. Martin’s Press (to editor Keith Kahla, who works with Ben Coes, Gregg Hurwitz, Rick Campbell, and many others) to bring their new series to readers. This is the authors’ first deal with a major publisher after co-authoring two self-published thrillers — Weapons of Mass Deception and Jihadi Apprentice — along with two companion stories. And while there’s no scheduled publication date yet, we’ll be covering this novel right up until its release, so make sure to check back for more information in the coming months.
In the meantime, read more about the authors below:
Both graduated from the US Naval Academy, and Bruns — who has authored several science-fiction novels — spent six years as a commissioned officer in the nuclear-powered submarine force during the final years of the Cold War before leaving the Navy for corporate life. You can follow him on Twitter and Facebook, or check out his Amazon page and website here.
JR Olson earned a BS in history and a commission from the U.S. Naval Academy, and served for twenty-one years. His military career included duty aboard aircraft carriers and amphibious ships; participation in numerous operations around the world, including Iraq, Somalia, Bosnia, and Afghanistan; and service to the Navy as a CIA-trained case officer. His final assignment before retirement was the Naval Attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Helsinki, Finland. Olson earned an MA in National Security and Strategic Studies at the U.S. Naval War College, as well as his Navy parachutist badge, logging thirty-five jumps during his career.
Currently, Olson teaches courses on the U.S. Intelligence Community, Terrorism, and Counterterrorism, and Weapons of Mass Destruction at Carleton College and Metropolitan State University.