Without warning, Russia starts a lightning operation to seize control of a vital arctic waterway off the Alaska coast.
For America, it's a threat to national sovereignty.
For Russia, it's a matter of life or death.
For hot-wired naval aviator, Karen 'Bunny' O'Hare, it's about to be a very bad day at the office.
NOT everyone is as relaxed about impending nuclear amageddon as O'Hare. Dug in deep behind enemy lines, half a mile under the arctic ice, US Navy Airboss Alicia Rodriguez suddenly finds herself in command of the wrong unit, in the wrong place, at just the right time.
FROM a forward airfield at Lavrentiya in the Russian Far East, Major-General Yevgeny Bondarev, is leading a war he doesn't understand against a foe who chooses to fight with machines instead of men.
IN labyrinthine tunnels under the New Annexe of the US Embassy in Moscow, Ambassador Devlin McCarthy discovers she can follow her conscience, or the orders of her Secretary of State, but not both.
AND staggering through the rubble of cruise missile strikes on Saint Lawrence Island, Yu'pik teenager Perry Tungyan learns just how far his country is willing to go to protect its national interests, and how far he'll go himself.
"The action is intense and the plot unique. There are plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader on their toes and keep their attention while it soars along at a fast pace... This story is unmissable."
Anne-Marie Reynolds for Readers’ Favorite
"Fast paced, packed with action and suspense."
Publishers Weekly BookLife Prize
Publishers and agents: this is but the first in the 'Future War' series. Get on board!
Sample reviews (unfiltered, all reviews from first two weeks)
Rick Molitor rated it ***** it was amazing
Future thriller.
This is a very interesting story of a situation that might occur in the future. It is told in a wonderful style giving the story from both sides. It also combines very different perspectives from different type of military personnel. It is a truly gripping story that will leave you think "What if?". Very well written.
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Aido
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fast moving military thriller with a heart.
3 November 2018
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
Pre ordered this based on some blurb on Facebook, and I'm really pleased that I did. Well paced near future military thriller that resonates with authenticity. The multiple perspectives keep it fresh and there's enough techno stuff to keep enthusiasts moist. Highly recommended.
Mr David Norlund
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great read for Clancy fans
6 November 2018
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
This is a near future scenario with believable use of characters (human and computer.) Nothing is too farfetched to make you feel that this is not a believable scenario. Very well written.
P JAMES
5.0 out of 5 stars
Exciting read
6 November 2018
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
Brilliant well thought out fast paced thriller - read it in one hit staying up to 04:00!
Richard Campan
5.0 out of 5 stars
Action, suspense, technology
November 1, 2018
Format: Paperback
An impossible book to let go, The English vocabulary is accessible to a non-bilingual passionate about aviation and / or technology in general, The characters are deep, the suspense created well and the technology well researched. I am a fan of Clancy, Coonts and others: this is in the same vein. Recommended without reservations.
J. Smit
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fast-paced read; lots of action and technology; politics
November 7, 2018
Format: Kindle Edition
Bering Strait is a very fast-paced technothriller, great for fans of Tom Clancy and the likes. The idea of the Russians wanting to invade Alaska is not new but Tim Slee has a whole new approach. I had a little difficulty with the 'techno' parts because there were so many, sometimes too much to understand and grasp the details of everything that was explained. However, I liked the story line and the characters and I think all in all that Bering Strait is worthy a big public.
Helpful
Recluse
5.0 out of 5 stars
Finally! A new Smart Aviation/Techno Thriller
November 7, 2018
Format: Kindle Edition
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David howells
5.0 out of 5 starsGreat fast paced military thriller
20 November 2018
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
Interesting storyline with a future US vs Russian conflict set in the arctic circle. Good characters with multiple but interwoven threads of action based on use of military drones with an intetesting twist to the reasons for the conflict. A great read.
.
Arthur J. Black
5.0 out of 5 starsGreat new author
15 November 2018
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
I have read Tom Clancey Vince Flynn books plus plus however this author F K Holden is a whole new ballgame without a doubt he will be one to watch in the future he sets a cracking pace from start to finish can't wait for his next book
SUMMARY OF ALL US/UK/AU AMAZON REVIEWS NOV/DEC 2018
David Portlock
5.0 out of 5 stars Well presented story
Graham Weeks (Geejay44)
5.0 out of 5 stars Well researched and well written
Ron Hale
5.0 out of 5 stars Page turner from start to finish
Alan
4.0 out of 5 stars A gripping Tale
Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Action.
Alan McNamara
5.0 out of 5 stars A great read
Anthony Millman
5.0 out of 5 stars A great read
Gary Breed, NZ
5.0 out of 5 stars Frighteningly realistic
David howells
5.0 out of 5 stars Great fast paced military thriller
Arthur J. Black
5.0 out of 5 stars Great new author
MG
4.0 out of 5 stars Good read
Steve Houston
5.0 out of 5 stars Extremely well written military near-future fiction.
thomas h. missildine
4.0 out of 5 stars Set in mid 21st century
Stefan Markovich Bandera
5.0 out of 5 stars Bering Strait- deserves 6 stars
James Pearson
4.0 out of 5 stars A view into the future of war fare.
Nico
5.0 out of 5 stars The Real Deal
M.D.V.
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read, hard to put down.
Trent Jones
5.0 out of 5 stars Spellbinding
Bilmalk
4.0 out of 5 stars Very Good
Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Well done !!!
Randall W. Wilson
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent military techno thriller
cricketer
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read
Robert T. Murphy
4.0 out of 5 stars Tom Clancy Fans should love this one (mostly!)
MarBet
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent fast moving thriller
Ruth Long
5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding thriller with female role models.
Christopher Groucott
4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent book
Teddy's Mom
5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome and Scary
Robert Haynes
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book to read
Gabrielle Adams
5.0 out of 5 stars You won't want to put this one down
scifiguy
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read!
Texas Ranger
4.0 out of 5 stars Thrilling techno-military story, with flaws
Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Future thriller.
A
5.0 out of 5 stars Wasn't sure at first.
Recluse
5.0 out of 5 stars FInally! A new Smart Aviation/Techno Thriller
J. Smit
4.0 out of 5 stars Fast-paced read; lots of action and technology; politics
A. Paulon
5.0 out of 5 stars Cold gets hot in the freezer of the Artic
Pepperon
5.0 out of 5 stars Great characters
Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars A mind blowing novel.
Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Good read
G.D.
5.0 out of 5 stars Really good fast paced thriller
Blythview
5.0 out of 5 stars Good read
Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic book and great cause
Rick Kon
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Thriller
Review Rating: 5 Stars - Congratulations on your 5-star review!
Reviewed By Anne-Marie Reynolds for Readers’ Favorite
Under the Hammer by FX Holden is a thriller. It is 2031 and a new cold war between America and Russia is starting. Perri Tungyan is a Yup’ik fisherman, just 17 years old. He lives on Saint Lawrence Island in the Bering Strait and, as he awaits the weekly shopping drone at the Gambell airstrip, he notices several specks in the sky. These loom larger and larger, identifying as aircraft, and Perri suddenly realizes that he is the only one who knows what is happening. Russia has started to take control of the Strait. Russian ships move in to block the entrance and exit to the Strait and a no-fly zone is imposed over Western Alaska. The lives of eight people are about to be turned upside down as Armageddon approaches.
When I started reading Under the Hammer, I found it a bit slow going and didn’t think I would be able to get into it but, wow, it soon picks up the pace and becomes impossible to put down. The action is intense and the plot unique. There are plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader on their toes and keep their attention while it soars along at a fast pace. The characters are developed nicely throughout the story, each having their own part to play and meshing with one another seamlessly. You soon begin to empathize with them and they are a likeable bunch of people too. This story is unmissable and slightly scary because it isn’t set very far in the future and, given recent world events, isn’t out of the realms of possibility. Great story, highly recommended for those who want a tight, gripping tale to lose themselves in.
Publishers Weekly BookLife appraisal of the first draft of Under The Hammer is in ... "“Fast-paced, packed with action and suspense ...keeps the reader guessing...realistic and original...there is a lot to like here."
Next steps: flesh out characters, final proofing and editing, aiming for a finished manuscript December!
