Review: Intense, realistic, thrilling...an impressive debut novel
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 2, 2013
There's a reason why Peter von Bleichert's `Fourth Crisis' is listed in Amazon's top ten war fiction kindle titles...it's top notch reading, particularly if you're a fan of this genre.What drew me to this book was its relevance, given the current and ongoing issues surrounding the Asian-Pacific security situation, particularly Taiwan.  With characters of mixed descent sharing dynamic and complex relationships (for example, Jade, from Hong Kong, and Richard who is Chinese-American) it also rings true and highlights the concerns raised by the recent real-life arrest of Benjamin Pierce Bishop in Hawaii, who allegedly passed national security secrets to a Chinese girlfriend.This was my first dabble in the war fiction genre, which I'd always assumed was more male-oriented.  Thus, I was particularly impressed by the portrayal of Lieutenant Cynthia Pelletier, a strong, gutsy and impressive female character.  Not content to lead a simple life, Cynthia leaves love behind to pursue her dream and becomes a `distinguished naval aviator' flying war planes for a living....impressive, right?In fact, for a first time novelist, von Bleichert does a fine job of building both his characters and the plot line, and I for one was very impressed!  I can only imagine it's challenging for authors writing within this genre to garner a more universal appeal, but von Bleichert is definitely on the right track, cleverly creating a realistic, current and informative script with enough excitement and intrigue to please anyone who enjoys an intense thriller.Von Bleichert has evidently thoroughly researched the subject matter which forms the basis of his story, and appears to have a solid understanding and appreciation of modern warfare.  The book's Facebook page also contains some great pictures and video of the combat ships, battle tanks and war planes that feature in the book, along with technical information on these weapons of war, including how and when they can be or have been deployed...a great bonus and sure to impress fans of the book.Highly recommended.