The Shark Mutiny (Harper Torch 103066)
Veteran techno-thriller writer Robinson's fifth novel pairs Arnold  Morgan, the aging but still powerful national security adviser who stars in the  author's previous titles (Nimitz  Class,Kilo  Class) with a new young naval intelligence officer named Ramshawe--one  of the few characters with more personality than the military hardware on which  Robinson lavishes most of his attention in this somewhat pedestrian tale.Ramshawe's commanding officer ignores his warnings about a Russian airplane  carrying a lethal cargo of sea mines to a Chinese naval base and the subsequent  movement of Chinese warships flying the flag of Iran in the Strait of Hormuz,  even when an American oil tanker explodes in the Persian Gulf. Unable to  convince his Admiral that the events are connected, the junior hotshot ignores  the chain of command and takes his suspicions to Morgan. When more oil tankers  blow up and it becomes clear that the Chinese have mined the strait in order to  drive oil prices up and destabilize the economy, Morgan deploys the U.S. Navy to  the Gulf. Included in the force are a couple of SEAL teams on a submarine--but  the sub is commanded by a deranged captain who believes he's the reincarnated  spirit of the French naval officer defeated by Nelson at Trafalgar, so the SEALs  are forced to stage a mutiny in order to carry out their mission. Meanwhile, it  turns out China has another target in its sights, halfway around the world: its  neighbor Taiwan. So the Taiwanese air force must fight off the attack on its  territory with no help from the U.S. Navy, which is committed in the Gulf.There's enough weaponry and military maneuvering here to keep fans of Clancy,  Coonts, and Dale Brown happy, but it may be past time for the curmudgeonly  Morgan to retire and let a new series hero like Ramshawe take over.--Jane  Adams--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.