Who: Robert Doherty (pseudonym for Bob Mayer)
When: Published March 27th 2007
At the start of the Cold War, the greatest threat to America wasn't the Russians and the looming Communist threat. Rather, it was an elite organization bent on world domination, a group so powerful only nuclear weapons could safeguard against them. The CIA knew what these men were capable of, and in a last ditch attempt to protect America against them, they built two high-security arsenals deep within the earth--one declassified in the Nevada desert, and one heavily under wraps in Antarctica. For over 50 years, no one spoke of The Citadel, the fortress deep under the ice in Antarctica that held the most powerful weapon known to man--until the Organization returned, hellbent on destruction.
Captain Jim Vaughn is a government agent known for performing missions no one else wants. So when an old colleague approaches him with an assignment, he can't refuse--even if the mission has been set in motion by a dead man's letter, found in Antarctica and dated 1949. The Citadel has been cracked, and the only man who can safeguard it is Vaughn. Nothing short of the fate of mankind rests on his shoulders.
This book follows on immediately after Section 8 which I reviewed here. It's pretty much a continuation of the story begun in Section 8, and the action begins right away.
Jim Vaughn and Layla Tai, the only surviving members of their Section 8 team from the previous mission, are recovering after their ordeal - an ordeal that has left them both officially declared dead. They are approached by their former boss who wants Vaughn and Tai to come and work for him to find out exactly who the shadowy Organization are who pull the strings of groups like Section 8 and others. He figures that they might be rather useful assets given the fact that they are 'dead'. And he issues them their first task...
Information about a secret base in Antarctica has come to light and the possibility of there being various nuclear weapons stored there. It seems that this base was built by a rogue element within the Organization but without their knowledge. This information gets into the hands of a number of others and the race is on to recover the weapons. What ensues is a race to find the Citadel and secure the weapons lest they fall into the wrong hands.
There's the usual Robert Doherty conspriacy twists in there as well with Majestic 12 coming into the plot too.
A good follow-up to Section 8. More good adventure and battles with lots of military hardware which is great. About the only complaint is how some things go just too right in some scenes, like how everything in the Citadel worked perfectly after being abandoned for 50 years...too easy.
Never mind, because this doesn't detract from an otherwise very good, and real page-turning book.
Once again it looks as if Mr. Doherty has left the path open for sequels - which is just as well because there must be so much more to this story. I really look forward to more from Jim Vaughn and finding out the real truth behind 'The Organization'. To quote the main character at the end of the book:
"I think we've started some cracks in the ice that protects the Organization."Nice one. Can't wait for more.
8/10
Check it out at Goodreads.
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