Cold Choices

Book excerpt: When two submarines collide in icy waters, an American navigator must find a way out of danger alive in this thriller by a New York Times bestseller. Following the events Jerry Mitchell encountered in Dangerous Ground, the pilot-turned-submarine officer is now a department head, the navigator, aboard USS Seawolf. Now on a mission deep in the Barents Sea, north of Russia, Seawolf explores the sea floor, part of a sophisticated reconnaissance plan that will watch the Russian navy as it trains for battle. Although well outside Russia’s territorial waters, Seawolf is ambushed by Russia’s newest submarine, Severodvinsk. Although it doesn’t fire any weapons, its aggressive new captain, Alexi Petrov, harasses the intruder with dangerously fast, insanely close passes by the American boat. The two subs collide, with the Russian boat crippled and trapped on the bottom. Only Seawolf knows where she is, and the rest of the Russian fleet is too angry to listen. Mitchell and his shipmates must keep their own damaged boat afloat, figure out a way to make the Russians listen, and keep the trapped Russian submariners alive until they can be saved—if that is even possible. Praise for Cold Choices “Suspenseful. . . . Its depiction of the bond shared by submariners, even those on opposing sides, makes it more intimate and, along with convincing portraits of men under severe stress, more human.” —Publishers Weekly “[An] exciting adventure. . . . The reader can practically feel the frigid water as the novel kicks into high gear. . . . Fans of military thrillers, especially those by Clancy and his ilk, should devour this one.” —Booklist