Red Tango

A covert operation triggers a possible showdown between the United States and China in Seiler’s techno-thriller.

Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan faced off against Marko Ramius, the Soviet Union’s legendary submarine commander in The Hunt for Red October (1984), while Seiler’s Jake Taylor has Adm. Jian Lo of China’s People’s Liberation Army and Navy. Like Ryan, Taylor is an unassuming military analyst who would not, at first glance, be taken for a hero; he also rises to the occasion to de-escalate tensions with one of the United States’ most formidable adversaries. Taylor’s conclusion differs from Ryan’s, though; he thinks that Jian Lo, a “hard-nosed hawk,” believes that “the time has come to openly challenge the US in the South China Sea.”

Taylor comes to this conclusion after masterminding a simulation of the sinking of an American carrier to draw the attention of Chinese vessels. The operation, called Red Tango, succeeds beyond all expectations, gathering unprecedented video and audio intelligence on China’s submarine operations. However, Jian Lo responds in kind, using drone torpedoes to simulate the sinking of a nuclear carrier: “The message was loud and clear,” Taylor ruminates. “Enter the Taiwan Strait at your peril. The world has changed.” Ratcheting up the tension and increasing the stakes is the discovery of a breach that indicates the existence of a mole, necessitating a risky, off-the-books intelligence operation.

Seiler has created a thoughtful action hero who makes a memorable impression early on when he goes incognito on a submarine as a NUB (“Non Useful Body”) to set Red Tango in motion. Devotees of submarine thrillers will find themselves in familiar territory, but the author masterfully steers his story into uncharted waters that will keep readers on edge until a surprising, climactic twist. There are several memorable scenes, including a late-in-the-game encounter between Taylor and Jian Lo, who displays just the right amount of menace without going overboard: “I’m curious, Ensign Taylor, what were your thoughts when you stood on the deck of the Ronald Reagan and watched the torpedoes streaming toward you?”

- Krikus Reviews