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Flagship! #1
Riven Dawn
A senior naval aviator/single mother at the pinnacle of her career deploys in a Navy flagship as director of operations for the U.S. 7th Fleet, where she confronts a cross-fire of military and personal challenges. A conniving superior seeks to discredit her, while an enigmatic yet alluring colleague cycles between nemesis and confidante.
As she struggles to defuse escalating military tension in the western Pacific, her rebellious teenage son -- beguiled by a mysterious Internet predator -- acts out and forces her to re-evaluate life choices and to face down personal demons from her past. As her self-assurance crumbles, she confronts and overcomes her own history of an abusive childhood and toxic marriage. When the unexpected specter of her destroyed marriage threatens to take her son, she brings to bear her aviator instincts and combat-honed courage in a desperate battle far more dangerous than a shooting war.
As she struggles to defuse escalating military tension in the western Pacific, her rebellious teenage son -- beguiled by a mysterious Internet predator -- acts out and forces her to re-evaluate life choices and to face down personal demons from her past. As her self-assurance crumbles, she confronts and overcomes her own history of an abusive childhood and toxic marriage. When the unexpected specter of her destroyed marriage threatens to take her son, she brings to bear her aviator instincts and combat-honed courage in a desperate battle far more dangerous than a shooting war.
341 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 9, 2012
6 people are currently reading
194 people want to read
About the author
Mike Krentz
24 books112 followersMike Krentz writes medical suspense, psychological thrillers, and military fiction featuring complex characters and relationships.
Born and raised in Arizona, Mike earned a classical degree in English from the University of San Francisco, a Doctor of Medicine degree from the Medical College of Wisconsin, and a Master of Public Health Degree from Johns Hopkins University.
Following a civilian career as an emergency physician, Mike rededicated his professional life to serve America's Navy and Marine Corps heroes and their families, and to honor their sacrifices in defending our freedom and way of life. His last active duty assignment was as 7th Fleet Surgeon on board the flagship, USS BLUE RIDGE.
After retiring from the US Navy, Dr. Krentz continued his service as a consultant supporting the Navy and Marine Corps Public Health Center. Upon completion of that mission, he returned to his earliest life passion as a full-time writer.
Dr. Krentz sits on the Board of Directors of The Muse Writers' Center where he teaches fiction writing and participates in advanced studios.
Mike's fiction works include the DR. ZACK WINSTON SERIES of medical conspiracy thrillers, the MAHONEY & SQUIRE SERIES of military fiction, and a standalone psychological thriller, ANGELS FALLING.
www.mikejkrentz.com
www.facebook.com/MikeJKrentzAuthor
https://twitter.com/MikeJKrentz
https://www.instagram.com/mjkrentz/
Born and raised in Arizona, Mike earned a classical degree in English from the University of San Francisco, a Doctor of Medicine degree from the Medical College of Wisconsin, and a Master of Public Health Degree from Johns Hopkins University.
Following a civilian career as an emergency physician, Mike rededicated his professional life to serve America's Navy and Marine Corps heroes and their families, and to honor their sacrifices in defending our freedom and way of life. His last active duty assignment was as 7th Fleet Surgeon on board the flagship, USS BLUE RIDGE.
After retiring from the US Navy, Dr. Krentz continued his service as a consultant supporting the Navy and Marine Corps Public Health Center. Upon completion of that mission, he returned to his earliest life passion as a full-time writer.
Dr. Krentz sits on the Board of Directors of The Muse Writers' Center where he teaches fiction writing and participates in advanced studios.
Mike's fiction works include the DR. ZACK WINSTON SERIES of medical conspiracy thrillers, the MAHONEY & SQUIRE SERIES of military fiction, and a standalone psychological thriller, ANGELS FALLING.
www.mikejkrentz.com
www.facebook.com/MikeJKrentzAuthor
https://twitter.com/MikeJKrentz
https://www.instagram.com/mjkrentz/
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
December 11, 2020
Paint me a disappointed old salt. I tried my best to get this slow moving barge into port, but had to give up and consign it to the murky depths of DNF.
November 6, 2019
This was a thrilling read, with a great lead character - Kate Mahoney, a fierce and sometimes fragile Navy fighter pilot. Krentz writes in a way that brings the drama, thrills and chaos to life with prose that's crisp and colorful. The action and suspense made this a page turner for me. As did the behind the scenes life of our military and the challenges they face. I've already ordered the second Flagship book and can't wait to read it.
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August 16, 2022NOOK
May 22, 2014
Please note that I have won this book in a giveaway on Goodreads and would like to offer a fair review.
The book starts with an explosive scene of the protagonist, Lieutenant Kate Mahoney, having to defend her infant son from her drunk marine husband, which ends with her almost killing him and undergoing a trial. Then the action jumps forward 13 years to the Yellow Sea, where a North Korean and a South Korean warships seemingly blow each other up, sparking an international incident and a race against the clock for investigators to discover what really happened, while the US navy and military mobilize and political play intensifies.
The action is fast, the characters real and believable, and the power plays between individuals and branches in the military shown superbly; the last detail that drew me in was how the author shows Lieutenant Mahoney's teenager now son immersing himself in playing World of Warcraft, which I personally relate to. With the exception of a few minor details this was shown very well - I can't believe the author didn't play WoW himself!
There is a lot of military jargon and terms in this book, and I mean a LOT. However, even though I have completely nothing to do with the US military and expected it to make difficult reading, it didn't - after the first few pages it actually helped me immerse myself in the book.
The military expertise of the author is obvious from the start - from the little details of differences in uniform, to descriptions of combat flights, to navy hierarchy and chains of command - this book is alive and gripping at all times. The volatile professional relationship Kate has with Colonel Preston Davis and Commander LeBlanc, who hates her and tries to bring her down by digging in her past, are very real and familiar to many women trying to make careers in traditionally male-dominated areas.
Actually I was amazed at how well the author portrayed Kate and her emotional life - I would even go so far as to call this a very feminist book! Quite surprising coming from a male US Navy physician as the author is described on the cover... no doubt gender stereotyping from me here :) It was such a pleasure to read a well-written book with a strong woman central character who can do combat with the best of them, and yet have fragile emotions, and go through difficult moments both fighting the dislike and undermining efforts of her Commander and dealing with the troubles her almost estranged son has gotten himself into. The author shows the events from several people's perspectives, and each one is compelling and makes us understand their actions and motivations, even if we may dislike them at the same time.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and would really like to read a sequel to find out what happens to the characters now.
The book starts with an explosive scene of the protagonist, Lieutenant Kate Mahoney, having to defend her infant son from her drunk marine husband, which ends with her almost killing him and undergoing a trial. Then the action jumps forward 13 years to the Yellow Sea, where a North Korean and a South Korean warships seemingly blow each other up, sparking an international incident and a race against the clock for investigators to discover what really happened, while the US navy and military mobilize and political play intensifies.
The action is fast, the characters real and believable, and the power plays between individuals and branches in the military shown superbly; the last detail that drew me in was how the author shows Lieutenant Mahoney's teenager now son immersing himself in playing World of Warcraft, which I personally relate to. With the exception of a few minor details this was shown very well - I can't believe the author didn't play WoW himself!
There is a lot of military jargon and terms in this book, and I mean a LOT. However, even though I have completely nothing to do with the US military and expected it to make difficult reading, it didn't - after the first few pages it actually helped me immerse myself in the book.
The military expertise of the author is obvious from the start - from the little details of differences in uniform, to descriptions of combat flights, to navy hierarchy and chains of command - this book is alive and gripping at all times. The volatile professional relationship Kate has with Colonel Preston Davis and Commander LeBlanc, who hates her and tries to bring her down by digging in her past, are very real and familiar to many women trying to make careers in traditionally male-dominated areas.
Actually I was amazed at how well the author portrayed Kate and her emotional life - I would even go so far as to call this a very feminist book! Quite surprising coming from a male US Navy physician as the author is described on the cover... no doubt gender stereotyping from me here :) It was such a pleasure to read a well-written book with a strong woman central character who can do combat with the best of them, and yet have fragile emotions, and go through difficult moments both fighting the dislike and undermining efforts of her Commander and dealing with the troubles her almost estranged son has gotten himself into. The author shows the events from several people's perspectives, and each one is compelling and makes us understand their actions and motivations, even if we may dislike them at the same time.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and would really like to read a sequel to find out what happens to the characters now.
October 17, 2016
I was asked to write a review by the author, Mike Krentz. I did not accept a free copy of his book from him because I was able to download the book for free on kindle.
Having been a Navy physician for 20 years, Mr. Krentz draws heavily on this experience in his writing. The author writes well, but his writing is full of Navy acronyms that are difficult to follow for most readers. Despite this, the story will pull you in from the get-go.
We see most of the events through the eyes of Captain Kate Mahoney aboard the US Navy Seventh Fleet Flagship, that patrols the waters in the Western Pacific around North and South Korea.
Kate is a single mom who has left Patrick, her teenage son, with her sister. She is a mom from afar and tends to treat her son as if he were in the military. Kate demands and doesn’t listen. In the professional world, she fights to maintain control over her duties and fight off the attempts to question her fitness and integrity. The stakes are high in her demanding career. She must face male resentment at her competence and of her high expectations of those serving in the Navy. On top of this battle, she fights to overcome the pain of the past, especially her childhood sexual abuse and a violent and abusive husband. Kate is striving to change and be a better mother to her son.
There is danger lurking, not only in the Western Pacific but in the attempts of her former husband to take her son away.
I found the first half of the book riveting and hard to put down. However, there was a middle section that did not propel me forward. Events in the past, Kate’s sexual abuse by her father, were too unnecessarily detailed. In my opinion, a more succinct description would have been better. I felt this graphic going back to the past event interfered with the flow of events in the Pacific. Fortunately, the book pulled me back in again, and I enjoyed the rest of the novel.
This is the first of 4 books in the Flagship series. They would make an excellent television series.
Having been a Navy physician for 20 years, Mr. Krentz draws heavily on this experience in his writing. The author writes well, but his writing is full of Navy acronyms that are difficult to follow for most readers. Despite this, the story will pull you in from the get-go.
We see most of the events through the eyes of Captain Kate Mahoney aboard the US Navy Seventh Fleet Flagship, that patrols the waters in the Western Pacific around North and South Korea.
Kate is a single mom who has left Patrick, her teenage son, with her sister. She is a mom from afar and tends to treat her son as if he were in the military. Kate demands and doesn’t listen. In the professional world, she fights to maintain control over her duties and fight off the attempts to question her fitness and integrity. The stakes are high in her demanding career. She must face male resentment at her competence and of her high expectations of those serving in the Navy. On top of this battle, she fights to overcome the pain of the past, especially her childhood sexual abuse and a violent and abusive husband. Kate is striving to change and be a better mother to her son.
There is danger lurking, not only in the Western Pacific but in the attempts of her former husband to take her son away.
I found the first half of the book riveting and hard to put down. However, there was a middle section that did not propel me forward. Events in the past, Kate’s sexual abuse by her father, were too unnecessarily detailed. In my opinion, a more succinct description would have been better. I felt this graphic going back to the past event interfered with the flow of events in the Pacific. Fortunately, the book pulled me back in again, and I enjoyed the rest of the novel.
This is the first of 4 books in the Flagship series. They would make an excellent television series.
December 4, 2016
As the chief operations officer for 7th Fleet in the Pacific, Navy Captain Kate Mahoney, single mom of a teenage son living with her sister, is faced with the fight of her life. On the professional side she had to deal with a hostile superior officer and an enigmatic colleague just at the time when the North Koreans are hatching a plot to attack South Korea, while fighting the demons of her personal life when her estranged and abusive husband works to separate her from her son.
Riven Dawn by Mike J. Krentz is book one in the four-book Flagship series. While it is chocked full of military action, it is not your ordinary military fiction. The author, a retired navy doctor, takes the reader into the personal lives of the men and women who put their lives on the line in defense of liberty, combining authentic military action with the even more real personal challenges that they face on a daily basis. Krentz makes his characters come alive, as daring warriors and sometimes flawed individuals, and he does it from the perspective of someone who has lived that life and knows his stuff.
I received an advance reader copy of this book. I can guarantee that once you start reading it, you won’t want to stop until you’ve finished it. A yeoman’s first effort, and I predict that the author will only get better with time.
Riven Dawn by Mike J. Krentz is book one in the four-book Flagship series. While it is chocked full of military action, it is not your ordinary military fiction. The author, a retired navy doctor, takes the reader into the personal lives of the men and women who put their lives on the line in defense of liberty, combining authentic military action with the even more real personal challenges that they face on a daily basis. Krentz makes his characters come alive, as daring warriors and sometimes flawed individuals, and he does it from the perspective of someone who has lived that life and knows his stuff.
I received an advance reader copy of this book. I can guarantee that once you start reading it, you won’t want to stop until you’ve finished it. A yeoman’s first effort, and I predict that the author will only get better with time.
April 28, 2014
I won the book from the giveaway. I've never read any military books before that one, actually I've always had some prejudice towards them. The book started off a little slow but once I was almost half way through I just couldn't put the book down. The story is realistic, filled with complex personal issues and learning to let go and move forward, as well as military action and a little romance.
All in all, I loved it and will definitely get the next book in this series.
All in all, I loved it and will definitely get the next book in this series.
October 9, 2016
Do you enjoy books that are based on military events? Then Riven Dawn by Mike J. Krentz is the book for you. This book shows you life on a U.S. Navy flagship as well as the inner workings between the personnel on the ship and their relationships with their families while away from them. Once you pick up this book I promise you will not want to put it down. It is very fast paced in which you need to pay attention to it, especially if you are not up on the naval lingo.
August 20, 2012
Looking forward to the next book in the series.
November 8, 2012
What an excellent book! I'm glad to have known CAPT Krentz and am proud of him for this amazing writing achievement! I eagerly look forward to the next book in the FLAGSHIP series!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews