Counterpoint: A Jack Connolly Novel (Jack Connolly Thriller Series)

By M. Charles McBee

COUNTERPOINT - or "the West Wing meets the Hunt for Red October" - is a high stakes political drama that meets the satirical, insightful mind set of our main character, Commander Jack Connolly, U.S. Navy. A thirty something guy who's single, extremely bright, and, by his own admission, a babe magnet. He is a submariner, re-assigned to the White House by an Admiral out at Pearl Harbor, someone with a sense of humor. A re-assignment the result of an "incident" at sea involving a Russian submarine. At least, that's what that Admiral said. "An incident!" Jack devotes his weekends at Camp Peary in Virginia analyzing Intel on submarines operated by enemies of the U.S. However, most of the time he's analyzing Lieutenant j.g. Lauren Miller. She's a captivating, young, gorgeous chick with a well-toned body, every inch of which is known to Jack. And also, perhaps the brightest Intel officer in the Navy. At least Jack thinks so. That is, about the first part.Their work together during the Labor Day weekend has uncovered a retired Oscar Class Russian submarine that left the Sea of Japan, manned by North Koreans. Jack's quick, astute analysis determines the ship could not possibly be run by North Koreans as they are incapable of navigating even a dingy across a calm lake. Jack decides the ship is run by Russians, perhaps former Russian submariners. Perhaps dissidents. They also fix the ships' location as possibly heading into the Red Sea. But not so sure as the tail the U.S. Navy put on the sub when it left the Sea of Japan - a fast attack sub - was mysteriously pulled-off when the ship got to the Persian Gulf region.The clock is now running. And there's only 48 hours remaining for Jack and Lauren to pull all the puzzle pieces together. Jack leaves Camp Peary to join the President and selected members of the President's inner circle for the annual Labor Day picnic at Camp David in Maryland. It's here that Jack is met by his boss, the lovely, yet shrewd Ms. Eiko Narita, National Security Advisor to the President, Donald Giordan. Her questions about events in the Seychelles' Islands come out of left field and momentarily astonish Jack. He suspects she's someone with a very private agenda, and also someone who has a questionable professional relationship with the Director of Central Intelligence, Simon Unger. Both individuals give Jack pause for further concern about our National Security apparatus.Simon Unger manipulates events from behind the scenes at CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia. All the while the bright, ambitious and simply stunning Lt. j.g. Lauren Miller has managed to hack into the most secure facilities within the U.S. government. And, according to Jack, by knowing how to do it she has violated every known law involving computer hacking. Anyway, she uncovers a web of deceit and lies, as well as unclear instructions given to an operative of the CIA whose whereabouts on the planet is unknown. Instructions that may include the implementation of a Presidential executive order known in the spook world as "Tombstone," an assassination directive.Tensions that flare at the White House, the Pentagon, and the CIA are further complicated by the arrival at the West Wing of a very nervous Gideon Margolies, the Israeli Ambassador to the United States who has his own take on the mission of the renegade sub, and what individuals are behind the whole mess. The President, seemingly concentrating on the renegade submarine and what cargo it could be carrying, much to Jack Connolly's disbelief, is still determined to move forward with his re-election campaign scheduled to kick-off the day after Labor Day.Jack, and another partner added to his team, his friend, Secret Service Agent Lawrence Mitchener, are not only focused on the mystery of the renegade submarine, but another pesky little problem.Former Marine Corps General, Seth Greene, Vice President of the United States, has vanished.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1469970082
• ISBN13: 9781469970080
• Release Date: May 2012
• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• Length: 334 Pages
• Weight: 1.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.8" x 6.0"