Counter Strike (Paperback)

When China launches a blitz attack on the island of Taiwan, the world order hangs in the balance and the CIA must mobilize all forces to prevent the start of World War III.

The operation by the People’s Liberation Army is airtight, with a high-tech battle network that guarantees total occupation within ten days. The United States rallies every available asset on land, sea, and air to launch a desperate counter strike against the occupying forces.

But in order to win, the US is forced to throw out the old playbook. What is required here is speed, audacity, and the application of the most advanced technology in the US arsenal.

As the head of the CIA’s Emerging Threats Group, Don Riley has seen his share of crises, but nothing has prepared him for the choices ahead. With millions of civilian lives at risk, the US must neutralize the Chinese threat without triggering World War Three.

Counter Strike is the second book in a brand new series co-written by former submarine officer David Bruns and retired naval intelligence officer J.R. Olson. Packed with pulse-pounding action, realistic combat scenes, and page-turning twists, this military techno-thriller is a must-read for fans of Tom Clancy and Mark Greaney.

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Praise for the authors and the COMMAND AND CONTROL series:

“David Bruns and J.R. Olson deliver captivating and utterly authentic portrayals of modern day combat that compares with the best of the timeless classics by Tom Clancy, Dale Brown, and Stephen Coonts.” —Mark Greaney, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Mission Critical

“A fascinating World War Three scenario, and an action-packed story. This is going to be an amazing series!” —Andrew Watts, USA Today bestselling author of The War Planners

"With their background in the U.S. Navy, both Bruns and Olson have the right stuff to create a realistic military tale." ―Booklist

“These two guys have lived it. Now they’re writing it. Taut, tense, and totally believable, you will be dropped into the midst of a world with which few of us are familiar. A fine thriller indeed.” —Don Keith, author of Only the Brave and Final Bearing

“Command and Control is a masterpiece of a military thriller from the first page to the explosive ending…some of the best combat writing I’ve seen since Tom Clancy.” —Jason Kasper, USA Today bestselling author of The Enemies of My Country

"Bruns and Olson deliver an action packed story from the first to the very last page. Torn from tomorrow’s headlines, loaded with intrigue and mystery, a must read for any fan of military techno-thrillers." —George Wallace, author of Warshot and Operation Golden Dawn

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What readers are saying:

★★★★★ "...brilliantly written"
★★★★★ "...as great as Clancy."
★★★★★ "...a winner from the first page to the last."
★★★★★ "...powerful, white-knuckle, intense roller coaster ride."
★★★★★ "...an exhilarating geopolitical techno-thriller of the highest order."

David Bruns earned a Bachelor of Science in Honors English from the United States Naval Academy. (That's not a typo. He's probably the only English major you'll ever meet who took multiple semesters of calculus, physics, chemistry, electrical engineering, naval architecture, and weapons systems just so he could read some Shakespeare. It was totally worth it.) Following six years as a US Navy submarine officer, David spent twenty years in the high-tech private sector. A graduate of the prestigious Clarion West Writers Workshop, he is the author of over twenty novels and dozens of short stories. Today, he co-writes contemporary national security thrillers with retired naval intelligence officer, J.R. Olson.

J.R. Olson graduated from Annapolis in May of 1990 with a BS in History. He served as a naval intelligence officer, retiring in March of 2011 at the rank of commander. His assignments during his 21-year career included duty aboard aircraft carriers and large deck amphibious ships, participation in numerous operations around the world, to include Iraq, Somalia, Bosnia, and Afghanistan, and service in the U.S. Navy in strategic-level Human Intelligence (HUMINT) collection operations as a CIA-trained case officer. J.R. earned an MA in National Security and Strategic Studies at the U.S. Naval War College in 2004, and in August of 2018 he completed a Master of Public Affairs degree at the Humphrey School at the University of Minnesota. Today, J.R. often serves as a visiting lecturer, teaching national security courses in Carleton College's Department of Political Science, and hosts his radio show, National Security This Week, on KYMN Radio in Northfield, Minnesota.