Silent Enemy

Michael Parson & Sophia Gold #2

by Tom Young, Thomas W. Young

A novel of courage and terror from the author of Sand and Fire and The Warriors...
Estimated time of arrival: Never...
When a terrorist bombing strikes a police training center in Kabul, Afghanistan, many are killed. The wounded, including Sergeant Major Sophia Gold, are loaded onto a C-5 Galaxy bound for Germany. But after takeoff, aircraft commander Michael Parson receives a message: the jihadists have placed bombs on planes leaving Afghanistan—and his is one of them. They are trapped in the air. And if they descend, they will die. As the air­craft deteriorates and the patients grow worse, Parson, Gold, and the crew are pushed to the breaking point—and their biggest challenge has yet to show itself.
For the enemy is already closer than any of them can dare to imagine…

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Military Fiction, Adventure, Suspense, Audiobook, Mystery

400 pages, Paperback

First published August 4, 2011

About the author

Tom Young served in Afghanistan and Iraq with the Air National Guard. He has also also flown combat missions to Bosnia and Kosovo, and additional missions to Latin America, the horn of Africa, and the Far East. In all, Young has logged nearly five thousand hours as a flight engineer on the C-5 Galaxy and the C-130 Hercules, while flying to almost forty countries. Military honors include three Air Medals, three Aerial Achievement Medals, and the Air Force Combat Action Medal.

Young is the author of SILVER WINGS, IRON CROSS; THE HUNTERS; SAND AND FIRE; THE RENEGADES; SILENT ENEMY; and THE MULLAH'S STORM.

His nonfiction publications include THE SPEED OF HEAT: AN AIRLIFT WING AT WAR IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN. His narrative, "Night Flight to Baghdad," appeared in the anthology OPERATION HOMECOMING: IRAQ, AFGHANISTAN, AND THE HOME FRONT IN THE WORDS OF U.S. TROOPS AND THEIR FAMILIES.

Reviews

[Brian Rueger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Outstanding story. Aviation and suspense always make a "edge-of-you-seat" story!

[Shaina Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

*these reviews are for me

I really enjoyed this book and love the Parson and Gold stories more than any I’ve read in years. Parson and Gold are back in Afghanistan, Parson as an advisor and Gold as his interpreter. The character growth is amazing over these last three hoods. It’s good to see how that author navigates handing PTSD and how it seeps into every aspect of your life (I don’t know how gold is gonna survive another what? three books but we’ll see). I also enjoyed how he brought the aspect of humanity along the Taliban when Gold went to speak with the Mullah. I think the end with the leader was a bit anti-climactic. Like I know it was a cool fight scene but also he was really the only guy left? Really? Just two guys against a sword?

Also I could fully enjoy these books without the possibility of a romantic relationship between a Parson and Gold. I found it a bit weird in the first and became more into it in the second, but now this book he’s definitely playing with it and not sealing the deal??! You created the ship, you put me on the ship. I am now on the ship, I’m blowing through this series now just to see what happens, and if nothing happens I’m gonna pull all my hair out bc you put us there Mr Young. Yes the handholding is cute I love the connection they have but chop chop.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the first book I read of Tom Young's. My dad had a copy of it, with burned edges (what happened? I have no idea!) and I read it in 3 days while we were anchored in St Thomas, waiting for the winds to die down so we could make it back to St John. It was absolutely incredible! So exciting! What an interesting concept, the Taliban setting bombs to explode American military aircraft once they descend to a certain altitude. The jargon in this book appealed to me greatly, since I am already familiar with a lot of military aircraft procedures (I was a US Coast Guard C-130 aircrew member), but again he does an amazing job of explaining things in a way that anyone can understand. Gold has a passion for the Afghan culture and people and is very sympathetic towards them, but at one point she lets her guard down with disastrous results! It is a terrific book, quite a page-turner since I read it in 3 days!

[Roger Smitter · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tom Young gives tech and military commend-driven novel. The crew of a very large transport plane is taking wounded American and Middle - Eastern fighters to the US for hospital treatment. The enemy has somehow placed a bomb on the jet, configured to go off when the plane gets below a certain altitude.

Young gives us a minute-to-minute of what the air crew and the some of the wounded are doing. There's a lots of airplane tech stuff. In fact, the the tech dialogue overwhelms the development of human dialogue. Amazingly, there is very little profanity--something we would hear in light of the likely crash of the plane.

It's a long read.

[Shiela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent, fully loaded aeronautical thriller. Although it is unrealistic to believe that all those depicted catastrophic events can happen at one time, it is plausible and even probable that every one of those events did happen at some time to some one. Putting it altogether in one story makes for a fast paced, action packed book.
Tom Young is obviously a well-informed and experienced military pilot. He is compassionate and sensitive; and attempts not to oversell the military - with good success for the most part. Being retired military, I loved the descriptions of the military life.
Scott Brick's reading of the book is terrific!

[George · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great thriller. Well written, very suspenseful. Major Parson and Sergeant Gold. SILENT ENEMY pretty much takes place entirely in the air, in a C-5 transport trying to exit Kabul, Afghanistan on its way to Germany. Who'd have thought that a novel could be written from that long, boring flight? I am a USAF veteran an enjoyed his presentation of the USAF characters making them both believable yet not superheros.

[Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good second effort from Young which reunites the characyers from his first novel. Sophia is being medevac’d after a bombing in Afghanistan when it is revealed that they may have a bomb on the plane. A frantic search along with other difficulties including multiple mid air refueling takes place as they seek to find and defuse the bomb.

[Karolina Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely my kind of read. Nail bitter till the end. I am definitely going to read the 1st book in this series “The Mullah’s Storm”. The relationship between Sgt. Major Gold and Major Parson is interesting. When you go through something dramatic, it forges a bond forever. Highly recommend this read to anyone who enjoys military stories.

[Beth Orr · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book in a six book series featuring Air Force Major Commander Michael Parsons and Army Sergeant Major interpreter Sophia Gold.
The jihadists bombed the Afghan National Police Central training facility where Gold is an instructor. She only suffers cracked ribs but she is flying back to Germany with a group of wounded Afghanistan students as their interpreter. Parsons is pilot of the cargo plane that is now being used as a medic evac plane.
After getting airborne they are told that a barometric dirty bomb has been hidden on the plane. When the plane descends to a lower altitude thus changing the barometric pressure the bomb will explode and spew biochemical warfare poisons like anthrax that will cover a large area of the country the plane is over.
Somehow they have to find and disarm the bomb. Also they don’t know where everyone’s loyalty lies and a patient who is secretly a jihadist manages to enter the cockpit and cripple the plane. Adding to their problem is that no country wants them in their air space. They have to refuel midair three times. Tense.
He’s a superb writer that has thousands of military air miles and it’s obvious he knows what he’s writing about. He does not bog the story down with tedious minute details, but tells you what you need to know and understand.
Different type of book for me but I’m really enjoying the series.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gripping fictional story that while I am not sure has ever happened, is close enough to real life to read like a journal entry of the worst day of someone's life.

[Ruben Vipinraj · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a great action packed book

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked - but am tired from the non-stop terror.

[Clayton Yuen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Found another unique storyline w Silent Enemy ... a genuine thriller.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad. Easy read if you're looking for a break. A military thriller.

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brought back a lot of memories.

[Davey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Terrorist bomb one army transport plane from Afghanistan, can't descent

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another brilliant book by T. Young. It gives you a real glimpse into air crew operations. I loved every single detail in it

[Denny · Rating 5 out of 5]

NOOK

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hard to put down riveting thriller adventure tale of a pilot and his plane

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rounded up. Constant action, but the author does put details about the characters in there among the drama.

[Bob Stenberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in one day for I could not put it down.

[Dwight Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent story. Kept you on the edge
of your seat with each new challenge
per chapter.

[Stu Todd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best of Tom Young’s works I’ve read to date, Silent Enemy is a Netflix 8 episode series waiting to be made.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second time with this book. Enjoyed it as much the second time around. The writer is the real deal.

[Jon C. Hooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

A day + in a plane

Talk about over coming problem after problem these people overcame most of the obstacles to survive this flight even though few were in one piece

[Tad · Rating 2 out of 5]

Silent Enemy begins with a bang, literally. The Afghan National Police training center is attacked with a bomb. The survivors, many of them injured, are evacuated by transport planes. Once the planes are airborne, it is discovered that bombs have also been placed aboard several of the planes.

The story is told from alternating viewpoints through the eyes of the pilot, Major Michael Parson, and one of the teachers from the school, Sergeant Major Sophia Gold. The plane can’t descend without triggering the bomb and no country wants to let them land.

Almost the entirety of the story takes place in the air. The plane is on autopilot most of that time, and unfortunately, so is the storytelling. The two main characters are supposed to be engaging, I suspect, but I didn’t feel much for either of them. There’s an odd romantic angle, as Parson has romantic feelings for Gold; she seems unaware and doesn’t really reciprocate. They never talk about their feelings and that element of the plot sort of remains limp and unresolved.

Thin characterization in a thriller can be forgiven if the story or the threat they are facing is itself exciting, but that falls flat here as well. There are a few action sequences scattered throughout, but the intensity isn’t quite there. The thrill of a mid-air refueling is not terribly exciting when all is said and done. There are exchanges with Major Gold’s Afghani students, reminiscences from both Gold and Parson about past trials they faced together, and several passages describing clouds and water as viewed from 30,000 feet.

There are a couple of obvious “what are they thinking” moments, but I wasn’t invested enough by that point to really be upset. There are a few mildly exciting moments, but not enough to make this a recommended read. The premise seems like it had potential, and I was looking forward to it on that basis, but instead the book misses it’s mark.

I received an ARC of Silent Enemy by Thomas W. Young through Library Thing’s early reviewer giveaway.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't bother to set your alarm clock… you'll still be reading this book when it goes off in the morning!

Thomas W. Young's "Silent Enemy" is a real page turner. After a terrorist bombing leads to a mass casualty event, the US military hastily arranges a medevac flight from Afghanistan to Germany, where patients—both American and Afghan—can receive the medical attention they so desperately need. By chance this flight (in a specially-configured C-5 Galaxy cargo jet) reunites the two main characters from Young's earlier novel, "The Mullah’s Storm."

Captain Michael Parsons (now C-5 pilot and aircraft commander) and Sergeant Major Sophia Gold (who was slightly injured in the terrorist bombing) have every reason to expect an uneventful flight; but what unfolds on that flight is anything but "normal." Shortly after takeoff, they learn that a bomb and perhaps other “surprises” have been placed on their jet and that they’re not the only ones in this predicament. As a result, no country wants the stricken jet to land on its territory. This leads to a near globe-spanning journey that repeatedly tests the abilities of all onboard. Rather than droning along at high altitudes on autopilot, the crew and passengers face a harrowing series of challenges: bombs, hurricanes, irate Venezuelan fighter pilots, volcanoes, suicide attacks, and much more face this hapless C-5 crew.

The reader gets hints throughout the book of an existing relationship/attraction between Parsons and Gold—especially given the ordeal through which they had to struggle during the first novel. However, no one has time to work on relationships when they must deal with a seemingly endless series of life-threatening events, which are thrown at the crew in quick succession.

If you crave nonstop action, “Silent Enemy” will not disappoint.

John Cathcart
- Award-winning author of Delta 7
- Reviewer for the Military Writers Society of America

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Silent Enemy is the story of Major Parson and Sergeant Gold. We were first introduced to these two characters in Young's previous book The Mullah's Storm. I am not familiar with that book yet I still found Silent Enemy easy to follow.

Major Parson is pilot in the Air-force and Sergeant Gold is from the Army working as a teacher in Afghanistan to help train those who want to become police and make Afghanistan a better place. Her school/police office is bombed and students and staff are injured. Gold and her friends and colleagues become patients of Major Parson's aircraft.

Parson's aircraft is now considered an Air Evac mission. The story doesn't get interesting until the Air Evac is in flight and they learn of a bomb threat to all aircraft that left Bagram Air Base. Parson's is left with trying to figure out what to do to protect his crew and the patients. The most logical thing is to find the bomb and to try and diffuse it.

Parson's crew search the aircraft and don't find a bomb. During the search Parson learns of 2 planes that had left Bagram have gone down. Now the threat of a bomb is more prominent then first thought. One place on the plane they didn't look is a place you usually don't go into during a flight. Parson decides that section needs to be checked and he has to depressurize the plane to search it.

The intricacies of the story are sometimes long and drawn out as you are reading. Parson's character sometime remembers his last time with Sergeant Gold and how they handled that crisis. Some of their pasts are brought up and how they are reacting to the current situation.

So will Air Evac survive or go down like the other planes that have left Bagram Air Base? You will need to pick up your copy of Silent Enemy to discover what happens.

[Paul Pessolano · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Silent Enemy” by Thomas W. Young, published by G. P. Putnam’s Sons.

Category – Mystery/Thriller

In “Silent Enemy”, Thomas W. Young, brings back Sergeant Major Sophia Gold and Major Michael Parson from his first book, “The Mullah’s Storm”.

Murphy’s Law, if anything can go wrong it will go wrong, is very evident in “Silent Enemy”.

Parson is the pilot of a C-5 Galaxy and is forced into service as a medi-evac plane when a bomb explodes in a Police Training Center in Kabul. Among the many injured is Gold, who was on a mission to education the police recruits.

The C-5 who has seen better days and was not configured for this job is pressed into service. However, once it is airborne with its fifty-seven people onboard, it is discovered that several planes flying out of Afghanistan have bombs onboard that are rigged to explode on descent.

Parson and his crew must find the bomb and find a way to disarm it. Unfortunately, this is just one of the problems that they will encounter. There is a jihadist on the plane who tries to ensure that the bomb does explode. The C-5, due to its age, has a vibration in one of its engines, an oil leak in another engine, and a hydraulic fuel line is ruptured. They are diverted half way across the world to an abandoned airfield off the Hawaiian Islands because no country will give them permission to land due to the danger involved.

Gold works with the injured and becomes vital to the operation when she is enlisted to help in the disarming of the bomb. She has also become a source of comfort for the flight crew by her encouragement and steadfastness.

An exciting novel that will keep you in suspense until the very end when an attempt is made to land the severely crippled plane on a deserted island.

[Ronald Roseborough · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a fitting tribute to the men and woman of our armed services, who face danger throughout the world in an effort to bring peace and stability to people here and abroad. Told from the viewpoint of one who knows. No this isn't the first book about a bomb on an airplane. The uniqueness lies in the fact that the aircraft is a U.S. military aircraft. Terrorist bombs have supposedly been placed on this and other aircraft while they were at a secure base in Afghanistan. If you can get past this and allow the story to unfold, you will get a real thrill ride. The main characters are Air Force Major Michael Parson and Army Sergeant Major Sophia Gold, who met in Young's first novel, The Mullah's Storm, while transporting a terrorist for interrogation. This time they are trapped on a C-5, the U.S. Air Force's largest transport aircraft, with a load of critically wounded victims of an Afghan terrorist's attack. Major Parson doesn't know until after takeoff that terrorists have possibly planted bombs on many of the aircraft from his base of departure. When his worst fears are confirmed, he finds himself, his crew, and passengers trapped miles above the earth unable to land for fear the aircraft's descent will trigger the bomb. Add to this the mechanical failures of an aircraft built before any of it's crew were even born, as well as the creeping fear that any of the wounded on board may be another terrorist and you have a volatile situation ready to explode at any time. I would have liked to see a bit more character development in the secondary characters. This book was provide for review by the well read folks at Library Thing and G.P. Putnam's Sons.