Off Duty

Flight of the Pawnee by Marc Liebman

Reviewed by LCDR Chip Lancaster, USN (Ret.)

The Pawnee as a rugged little aircraft designed to carry a load at treetop level with maximum maneuverability. So, how does that play out? Flight of the Pawnee starts out aboard an Israeli A-4 on an attack mission with unfortunately results.

Marc Liebman’s new novel takes the reader on a 16-year ride from the streets of Beirut to the plains of east Texas. From an errant Israeli bombing mission to aerial combat, Flight moves at a hundred percent Nr and max speed. A young man’s life is nearly destroyed, turned inside out and set on a destructive path. We get a unique look inside of terrorism, it’s roots, growth and goals. In this case Harun al-Rashid becomes the Maker and al-Qaeda tasked to kill as many Americans as possible.

Countering this, we’re introduced to Derek Almer, Navy special ops HH60H pilot whom we meet in a daring extraction mission. Derek’s continued professional growth and experience eventually lead to life as a sometime CIA operative out of the Navy. Both of the protagonists have loves and loss, their lives inexorably drawn closer and closer. Derek and Harun’s lives eventually crash together on a Texas highway, stirring up a hornet’s nest of reaction.

Complications arise on both sides. Harun is working with the Mexican Brotherhood backed by the Sinaloa Cartel neither of which have al-Qaeda’s best interest, let alone Derek’s, in mind. It’s a money game of bad actors on that side. Derek’s interests are complicated by D.C. operatives and bureaucrats in the FBI, CIA and higher who want him out of the picture and will do anything to make that happen. But Derek has contacts and resources and is not going be dissuaded. The back-andforth action culminates in an explosive firestorm with deadly results and lessons learned on both sides.

The author has done his homework researching terrorist procedure as well as politics and bureaucracy and the interaction of all of it in a contemporary setting. It is fiction, but definitely leads the reader to wonder is it that easy to get bad guys into the country to foment disaster and is the political and security community able to counter and stop it. Liebman’s also done considerable research in aircraft, weapons and construction so keep the Goggle handy. As well as technical authenticity, Flight of the Pawnee has thorough character development to go along with the action making it a great read. Pick up a copy for the beach or that vacation trip, you won’t be disappointed. Marc is a retired Naval Aviator who has written eight books now, many of which we have reviewed. You can check him out at his website https:// marcliebman.com .