Path of Thunder

Mike Green
Peacemaker Productions (2009)
ISBN 9780692001622
Reviewed by Richard R. Blake for Reader Views (8/09)


C.I.A. analyst James Marshall was sent on a special assignment to discover the motive behind the murders of his best friend, Agent Steve Kranz, and archeologist Davide Palestino. Marshall discovers an ominous conspiracy to suppress the vulnerable Armenian people, victims of oppression, war, and violence and to take control of what appears to be an untold source of oil in the small province of Azerbaijan.

Author Mike Green provides non-stop, thrill-a-minute action coupled with intense dramatic dialog and a cast of unique and colorful characters in his novel of global conspiracy, cultural conflict and retribution titled “The Path of Thunder.”

Protagonists James Marshall and Aria Palestino are supported by Deputy Director of Operations P. R. Nicholson, operatives from the CIA, the FBI, as well as Military personnel from multiple branches of the service. They are on a crusade to  put an end to the conspiracy instigated by rival forces, the unscrupulous Ivan Mitrofano a UN delegate, his Iranian and Chinese allies, and an alliance of mercenaries, militia, and militant Islamic fundamentalists, who have joined forces with the Strategic Resources of Non-aligned Government Antagonists, in an all out battle which involves United States Helicopters, a Naval Submarine and other high powered technical equipment and military strategy in a race to gain control and domination of a potentially significant source of oil discovered during an archeological dig in the mountains of Azerbaijan.

Behind the scenes the United States Department, the Department of Defense, and United Nations leaders are thwarting the efforts of Mitrofano and his cohorts while a ground battle and hand-to-hand combat is taking place at the “secret” sight of the oil discovery.

Readers with an appreciation for archeology will enjoy Green’s vivid descriptions of the numerous caves in the Caucasus Mountains containing pictorial diaries, artifacts, and artwork of Neolithic life. Students of topography, the environment, and ecology will be rewarded with detailed descriptions of the mountainous terrain, the Caspian Sea, and the Kur-Aras Lowlands and global visual culture as well the bat dwellers found in the extensive caves.

Author Mike Green’s own experiences as an intelligence officer with the Naval Reserves, his service in multiple command tours and several operational assignments in the Middle East give added credibility to his writing. “Path of Thunder” is the first in a trilogy of spy novels which Mike calls “The Peacemaker Series.”

Make comment on weblog