Operation Medina: The Jihad

Submitted by Rob Ballister on April 13, 2012 - 21:40

Book Information:
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Author's Summary

The Balkans and Mideast, a region very much in the news, is the setting for this action novel which takes place in the not too distant future. The secular pro western government of Turkey has been overthrown in a violent revolution and replaced by an Islamic fundamentalist regime. Her fanatical leader, General Muhammad Kemal, has contrived a devious plan to restore the Ottoman Empire in the Balkans and unite the Islamic world under his evil rule. To accomplish this, Kemal will launch a devastating war with all the tools in his arsenal including Islamic Jihadist terrorists and WMDs. His first targets are US alley Greece and the few remaining American forces stationed in the region.

For his diabolic scheme to be successful, Kemal must eliminate any source of possible outside interference. To accomplish this, he sends a terrorist team to take out the USAF fighters based in Ramstein Germany.

A thousand miles to the south, a Palestinian terrorist sails a boat loaded with anti-ship missiles into Greek waters and delivers a devastating attack against a visiting U.S. aircraft carrier and effectively cripples U.S. Naval air power in the Mediterranean. The next morning, Turkey and her allies launch a devastating surprise attack against Greece.
 
With the Greeks facing certain defeat, the U.S. President quickly dispatches to Greece, a fighter squadron and a small USAF Security force contingent for airbase ground defense. The USAF expeditionary force is under the command Lieutenant Colonel Jack Logan a veteran fighter pilot. Logan will be faced with the greatest challenge of his career; he must use every bit of his skills to keep his outnumbered command from being annihilated and help stop the enemy onslaught.

MWSA Review

George Mavro’s OPERATION MEDINA: THE JIHAD is an action-packed military thriller set in the not too distant future.  The author draws on his 24 years of service as an Air Force security force veteran to weave a story across the borders of four nations as the entire Aegean is plunged into war.

I particularly enjoyed the author’s rich back-story behind several of the characters.  He spends considerable time developing the characters in such a way that the reader easily relates to them and understands their motives and actions.  The Greek military characters are especially well-developed, and as they are on the defensive, it’s easy to root for the Greek characters as the story progresses.  In addition, Mavro’s depiction of aerial combat is both exciting and well written.

Fans of military fiction in the spirit of Tom Clancy’s RED STORM RISING or Dale Brown’s FLIGHT OF THE OLD DOG will enjoy this book.  I look forward to reading the second one in the series.

Reviewed by: Rob Ballister (4/13/2012)

Author(s) Mentioned: 
Mavro, George
Reviewer: 
Ballister, Rob
Work Type: 
Book Reviews
Tags: 
Air Force
Fiction
Military