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Brad McLanahan #3
Iron Wolf
In the spring of 2017, the U.S. economy is rebounding under President Stacy Anne Barbeau, the country's first female president. But her leadership is about to be severely Russian president Gennadiy Gryzlov has sent Special Troops, disguised as pro-Russian activists, into Ukraine and Moldova. Though NATO is outraged, its response is tepid. Refusing to let Russian aggression go unpunished, former U.S. president Kevin Martindale approaches Polish president Peter Wilk with a radical a counterattack using a covert force of Cybernetic Infantry Device (CID): manned robots. Underwritten by the wealthy Wilk, Operation Iron Wolf is launched-without the knowledge of the Americans or its NATO partners. The CID's initial strikes are successful, infuriating Gryzlov and propelling President Barbeau to pledge western help to investigate the attack. With international tensions at the boiling point, Martindale's secret alliance, supported by the best military technology, is determined to outmaneuver the Russians. In this battle that will determine the fate of Eastern Europe, just which side will win?
512 pages, Paperback
First published August 25, 2015
About the author
Dale Brown
170 books1,168 followersFormer U.S. Air Force captain Dale Brown is the superstar author of 25 consecutive New York Times best-selling military-action-aviation adventure novels: FLIGHT OF THE OLD DOG (1987), SILVER TOWER (1988), DAY OF THE CHEETAH (1989), HAMMERHEADS (1990), SKY MASTERS (1991), NIGHT OF THE HAWK (1992), CHAINS OF COMMAND (1993), STORMING HEAVEN (1994), SHADOWS OF STEEL (1996) and FATAL TERRAIN (1997), THE TIN MAN (1998), BATTLE BORN (1999), and WARRIOR CLASS (2001). His Fourteenth Novel AIRBATTLE FORCE will be published in late Spring 2003... Dale's novels are published in 11 languages and distributed to over 70 countries. Worldwide sales of his novels, audiobooks and computer games exceed 10 million copies.
Dale was born in Buffalo, New York on November 2, 1956. He graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Western European History and received an Air Force commission in 1978. He was a navigator-bombardier in the B-52G Stratofortress heavy bomber and the FB-111A supersonic medium bomber, and is the recipient of several military decorations and awards including the Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster, the Combat Crew Award, and the Marksmanship ribbon.
Dale was also one of the nation's first Air Force ROTC cadets to qualify for and complete the grueling three-week U.S. Army Airborne Infantry paratrooper training course.
Dale is a director and volunteer pilot for AirLifeLine, a non-profit national charitable medical transportation organization who fly needy persons free of charge to receive treatment. He also supports a number of organizations to support and promote law enforcement and reading.
Dale Brown is a member of The Writers Guild and a Life Member of the Air Force Association and U.S. Naval Institute. He is a multi-engine and instrument-rated private pilot and can often be found in the skies all across the United States, piloting his own plane. On the ground, Dale enjoys tennis, skiing, scuba diving, and hockey. Dale, his wife Diane, and son Hunter live near the shores of Lake Tahoe, Nevada.
Dale was born in Buffalo, New York on November 2, 1956. He graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Western European History and received an Air Force commission in 1978. He was a navigator-bombardier in the B-52G Stratofortress heavy bomber and the FB-111A supersonic medium bomber, and is the recipient of several military decorations and awards including the Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster, the Combat Crew Award, and the Marksmanship ribbon.
Dale was also one of the nation's first Air Force ROTC cadets to qualify for and complete the grueling three-week U.S. Army Airborne Infantry paratrooper training course.
Dale is a director and volunteer pilot for AirLifeLine, a non-profit national charitable medical transportation organization who fly needy persons free of charge to receive treatment. He also supports a number of organizations to support and promote law enforcement and reading.
Dale Brown is a member of The Writers Guild and a Life Member of the Air Force Association and U.S. Naval Institute. He is a multi-engine and instrument-rated private pilot and can often be found in the skies all across the United States, piloting his own plane. On the ground, Dale enjoys tennis, skiing, scuba diving, and hockey. Dale, his wife Diane, and son Hunter live near the shores of Lake Tahoe, Nevada.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 140 reviews
September 6, 2015
A solid adventure that triumphs despite administrative obstacles. I wish there were fewer obstructions, instead replaced by more successes! 8 of 10 stars
May 6, 2018
I'd lost Dale Brown. For a while, back when I was travelling for work, I was reading all of the McLanahan books as soon as they came out in paperback. But I quit travelling and quit browsing bookstores, and got into the habit of reading books off the best-seller shelf at the library. Books that aren't as good.
This book is the Russians misbehaving again. It is technically rich, topical, and believable. It isn't boring, nerdy, technical military stuff, it is military science fiction like the whole series. He is trying to envision what future combat looks like with technology being developed for real right now. I liked it. Now I have to figure out where I left off and catch up. There was no goodreads.com back then, so I have to guess a little.
This book is the Russians misbehaving again. It is technically rich, topical, and believable. It isn't boring, nerdy, technical military stuff, it is military science fiction like the whole series. He is trying to envision what future combat looks like with technology being developed for real right now. I liked it. Now I have to figure out where I left off and catch up. There was no goodreads.com back then, so I have to guess a little.
August 30, 2015
Great espionage thriller!
December 20, 2015
Excellent
February 27, 2021
This is the book in the series where Brad meets Nadia Rozek, his future wife. He has been spending his time attending school and training on the Sky-Masters training program, which is a combination of actual pilot training and pilot remote training. He does have a bit of rashness in his attitude towards others and tends to act first when push than to consider better options. He was in the middle of an argument situation when he gets a signal during his session with an Exodus warning. He doesn't realize what it means until he gets told by Hunter "Boomer" Noble that he needs to take a "vacation from his sessions on the sim programs, so he goes to Cancun, Mexico, where he is approached by a member from Scion and given a trip to Poland where his father is waiting. Now if you remember from former books, Patrick McLanahan was badly injured in an encounter battle but was saved from death by his body being put inside the CIDrobot unit. Very few people know that he is alive (in this state) and it was publically stated to keep it a secret that he had died.
At the time of this book, which is based in about 2014, the president of the USA is a liberal woman, named Stacey Anne Barbeau, who's more concerned with political power moves, she fails to see anything pass her end goals, including international relationships with leaders of other countries. Understandably, she wants to concentrate on national programs as promised by her campaign plus she hated the policymaking of the previous president, especially his allegiance with Patrick McLanahan, whom she gleefully thinks is dead. She is defiantly anti-war help involvement for any European countries. But there's a developing problem occurring in Europe based on a plot to push the current president of Russia out of office. This plot involves hiring fanatics from Ukraine, who were definitely anti-Russia because of an incident years earlier. They were hired to create a false narrative showing Poland was doing the attacks using aggressive guerrilla tactics and fake proof of Poland's involvement, paid for by the former president of Russia ( a typical power play in Russia). He's trying to do this because he knows that the current president Gryzlov has an anger management problem and is easily provoked, plus he is aiming to profit from his downfall. Poland's leader Piotr Wilk, a former military leader and old enough to be alive when Russia and Germany took over Poland after WWII. He is also very aware of the Polish national pride in their country. He knows that he needs a miracle to survive a Russian attack on his country. He asks his aide-de-camp, Nadia Rozek, to make an undercover enquire to Scion about their services. Within 24 hours of the enquire, Martindale, ex-president of the United States, and present CEO owner of Scion is meeting him in person with a proposal to help that benefits them both. The rest of the story entails the interaction fighting using all the special forces and equipment of Scion. The best part of the book is the downfall of Barbeau's political future.
What I like best about this story was the subtle hint about the fallacies of liberal thinking that words and political maneuvers will gain them everything. It could apply to our current situation in 2021.
At the time of this book, which is based in about 2014, the president of the USA is a liberal woman, named Stacey Anne Barbeau, who's more concerned with political power moves, she fails to see anything pass her end goals, including international relationships with leaders of other countries. Understandably, she wants to concentrate on national programs as promised by her campaign plus she hated the policymaking of the previous president, especially his allegiance with Patrick McLanahan, whom she gleefully thinks is dead. She is defiantly anti-war help involvement for any European countries. But there's a developing problem occurring in Europe based on a plot to push the current president of Russia out of office. This plot involves hiring fanatics from Ukraine, who were definitely anti-Russia because of an incident years earlier. They were hired to create a false narrative showing Poland was doing the attacks using aggressive guerrilla tactics and fake proof of Poland's involvement, paid for by the former president of Russia ( a typical power play in Russia). He's trying to do this because he knows that the current president Gryzlov has an anger management problem and is easily provoked, plus he is aiming to profit from his downfall. Poland's leader Piotr Wilk, a former military leader and old enough to be alive when Russia and Germany took over Poland after WWII. He is also very aware of the Polish national pride in their country. He knows that he needs a miracle to survive a Russian attack on his country. He asks his aide-de-camp, Nadia Rozek, to make an undercover enquire to Scion about their services. Within 24 hours of the enquire, Martindale, ex-president of the United States, and present CEO owner of Scion is meeting him in person with a proposal to help that benefits them both. The rest of the story entails the interaction fighting using all the special forces and equipment of Scion. The best part of the book is the downfall of Barbeau's political future.
What I like best about this story was the subtle hint about the fallacies of liberal thinking that words and political maneuvers will gain them everything. It could apply to our current situation in 2021.
March 28, 2018
IRON WOLF BY DALE BROWN is the 20th book in the Patrick McLanahan series and believe it or not its the first book of Mr.Browns that I have ever read! Wow, I now know what I have been missing! Mr.Brown, or rather Ret . Captain Dale Brown formerly of the US Air Force has written one heck of a series !
In IRON WOLF the main focus is on Patricks son Brad, very young but very talented pilot. He is now gone from student to head of the Iron Wolf fighter squadron of SCION, a very high tech super secret private organization. Hired by the Polish gov the assignment: go after the Russians who are invading Poland under the guise of terrorist hunting.
Even the simulated dog fights and aerial combats make some really high tech very believable reading. I do believe Captain Brown has found a new fan ! Very fast paced & high tech IRON WOLF is definitely a keeper!
I recieved this book free from goodreads in exchange for an honest review
In IRON WOLF the main focus is on Patricks son Brad, very young but very talented pilot. He is now gone from student to head of the Iron Wolf fighter squadron of SCION, a very high tech super secret private organization. Hired by the Polish gov the assignment: go after the Russians who are invading Poland under the guise of terrorist hunting.
Even the simulated dog fights and aerial combats make some really high tech very believable reading. I do believe Captain Brown has found a new fan ! Very fast paced & high tech IRON WOLF is definitely a keeper!
I recieved this book free from goodreads in exchange for an honest review
March 8, 2022
It’s been a while since I’ve read a book by Dale Brown. This one was intriguing because of the parallels to Russia current invasion of Ukraine. In the Iron Wolf, the Russian president is irrational and deranged, and, the American president doesn’t wish to offer any help to Ukraine or to Poland. This book is several years old, and in a scary sense has a lot of reality in its setup and basis. The two leaders, who are each unlikable for many reasons, come out ahead, and that must set up a future book. This one didn’t end with either one going down.
Since I haven’t been reading Dale Brown, I was not aware of the leaps in technology with the CIDs and the other weaponry, from his earliest books. Perhaps it’s unrealistic, but this is a work of fiction, and I enjoyed the book quite well. The details make it seem real and plausible.
Since I haven’t been reading Dale Brown, I was not aware of the leaps in technology with the CIDs and the other weaponry, from his earliest books. Perhaps it’s unrealistic, but this is a work of fiction, and I enjoyed the book quite well. The details make it seem real and plausible.
July 2, 2018
Dale Brown packs this story with cyborgs and drones and military derring-do. "Russian collusion" and executive-level cynicism make appearances, too. What's not to like? Characterization is thin, but the action is not, and any reader paying attention will find that Brown also buries a few leadership lessons in the narrative.
The book entertains throughout, and not just when the improbably skillful Brad McLanahan brings Batman-level resourcefulness to bear on situations that would challenge men twice his age, or falls for a beautiful Polish special forces captain named Nadia, as of course he must.
I won the paperback edition of this book in a Goodreads giveaway sponsored by its publisher, and am delighted for having had the chance to read it.
The book entertains throughout, and not just when the improbably skillful Brad McLanahan brings Batman-level resourcefulness to bear on situations that would challenge men twice his age, or falls for a beautiful Polish special forces captain named Nadia, as of course he must.
I won the paperback edition of this book in a Goodreads giveaway sponsored by its publisher, and am delighted for having had the chance to read it.
March 27, 2020
Great book. I have read several of Browns's books and they all rate four to five stars. This will get a five star rating. The action starts early comes often and is always exciting. The political parts in between may not be that great, but who reads the book for that. They support the battle scenarios.
There is continuity with earlier characters and technology. The technology advances over earlier books and is always an exciting aspect of Brown's books; no exception here. The protagonists have, grown (up), matured, and become more skilled. The antagonist has gathered more power and a real chip on his shoulder since he previously met the protagonists. Altogether a potent and exciting mix.
A great read.
There is continuity with earlier characters and technology. The technology advances over earlier books and is always an exciting aspect of Brown's books; no exception here. The protagonists have, grown (up), matured, and become more skilled. The antagonist has gathered more power and a real chip on his shoulder since he previously met the protagonists. Altogether a potent and exciting mix.
A great read.
April 5, 2018
Iron Wolf is the first book by Dale Brown I have read. I was chosen in a goodreads drawing to receive this book and I am glad I entered the drawing. I would not have read Iron Wolf otherwise due to its being more of a male interest book. I must say I was pleasantly surprised that I really enjoyed the book. It is a well written and exciting story. The plot was a bit complicated but Mr. Brown did a superb job with description and pulling the plot and characters together. There was detailed description of the equipment used in the book but it did not bog down the story so I believe most people would find Iron Wolf an easy, enjoyable read.
November 21, 2019
This is without doubt the best Dale Brown book I have read! The action and suspense are kept at a high level. The characters are getting a little more fleshed out although I felt President Barbeau was too cliche.
Patrick McLanahan is still a focal point although his son Brad is stepping into center-stage. The presence of Captain Nadia Rozek makes up for the stereotypical Barbeau, and provides some romantic tension.
The story covers a lot of ground and a lot of characters. Once Brown paints the background this story takes off like a greyhound, and it does not really let up until the last page. The actions rates a solid 4.6 in my book!
Patrick McLanahan is still a focal point although his son Brad is stepping into center-stage. The presence of Captain Nadia Rozek makes up for the stereotypical Barbeau, and provides some romantic tension.
The story covers a lot of ground and a lot of characters. Once Brown paints the background this story takes off like a greyhound, and it does not really let up until the last page. The actions rates a solid 4.6 in my book!
January 8, 2021
Muck Still Has It
I've followed the adventures of Patrick McLanahan for years. Now, reading certain books for the second and third time, I still find them among the best of breed.
The plots are, while almost predictable, intricate and very well presented.
The characters are heroic, on the one side, and despiicable, on the other. It facinated me that I began to read this one to coincide with a current president whose ethics, or lack of same are worse thsn Stacy Ann Barbeau, the fictional president.
New characters, a new location for their adventures, but consistently able to keep my attention so that I still find it diffiicult to put down.
Bravo, Iron wolves!
I've followed the adventures of Patrick McLanahan for years. Now, reading certain books for the second and third time, I still find them among the best of breed.
The plots are, while almost predictable, intricate and very well presented.
The characters are heroic, on the one side, and despiicable, on the other. It facinated me that I began to read this one to coincide with a current president whose ethics, or lack of same are worse thsn Stacy Ann Barbeau, the fictional president.
New characters, a new location for their adventures, but consistently able to keep my attention so that I still find it diffiicult to put down.
Bravo, Iron wolves!
February 16, 2018
Great read
It's been a long time since I've read a Dale Brown novel. Great character development, excellent storyline and great hardware. I'll definitely be reading more from this author and from this series.
It's been a long time since I've read a Dale Brown novel. Great character development, excellent storyline and great hardware. I'll definitely be reading more from this author and from this series.
April 30, 2019
he lives
a great action filled page turner,flying scenes still very accurate, brad is still learning, should be a close second to his father,I can't wait to read the next book in the seri9
a great action filled page turner,flying scenes still very accurate, brad is still learning, should be a close second to his father,I can't wait to read the next book in the seri9
February 19, 2021
A+
That was totally awesome! I greatly enjoyed this book. It had more than enough action. The characters were well written in. The plot was totally believable. I highly recommend this book to everyone.
That was totally awesome! I greatly enjoyed this book. It had more than enough action. The characters were well written in. The plot was totally believable. I highly recommend this book to everyone.
June 12, 2021
Wow! Lots of Armageddon situations here. Poland vs Russia with Scion and Skymasters stuck in the middle. A US president leaving NATO allies hanging and turning on Scion. Little Brad McClanahan all grown up and working with dad. Cool story. Now gotta see what happens next.
August 29, 2015
Wow!
The best story yet, I think, to date, by Dale Brown. The action never stops. Hope his future tales are near as well written. I am anxious for the next one!
The best story yet, I think, to date, by Dale Brown. The action never stops. Hope his future tales are near as well written. I am anxious for the next one!
September 25, 2015
Great military story and detail. The younger McClanan is now the main character. The great ride continues.
November 21, 2015
Another great Dale Brown Thriller. With the passing of Tom Clancy no one does this genre better. Tightly written non stop action with now familiar characters. Can't wait for the next one!
August 26, 2018
It is world war 3 Future and sometimes it is made up!
January 16, 2021
Iron Wolf
Best of the Mclanahan stories that I've read in the last 4 books. Patrick and the gang are in Poland trying to assist them against the Russians.
Best of the Mclanahan stories that I've read in the last 4 books. Patrick and the gang are in Poland trying to assist them against the Russians.
September 6, 2015
This is my first read of a Dale Brown book, but it won't be my last.
Brown has either spent significant time in the service, has a ton of research notes, a copy of Janes or some combination of the three. I was blown away by his knowledge of so many things military.
It was obvious from the beginning that this was part of a series, so when I came across a reference to the past, I took it for what is worth and I'll do my "book diligence" as I go back to read previous books.
From the very first, the book had my attention. The non-action scenes in the book were great set-ups for the action scenes. The action scenes were hot and heavy. They reminded me a bit of Tom Clancy in his earlier books except the Air Force was the basic framework for the story.
The writing was so good I found myself disliking (hating?) the President very much. Her chicken-sch*t approach to foreign policy and her cowardice just burned my backside. Yes, the President is the Commander-in-Chief, but officers and non-commisioned officers have the responsibility to question orders that appear illegal. It's hard to believe that someone, somewhere in the command line would question the legality of an order that American forces secretly attack a group of American citizens working for the government of an allie. I guess the bastardization of our Constitution can now be the excuse any tyrant can use to justify dishonorable actions.
Even though I have been retired and am no longer active duty, I still am a cc: for back-channel info. The availability of a weapon that could effectively stop an entire Russian Army and its assigned air assets moves this book from the realm of fiction to that of science fiction or fantasy. OK, there is nothing inherently wrong with either science fiction or fantasy. This book takes place in Dale Browns universe and I'll have to accept his version of reality.
This ebook was a loan from my local library and from a respectable publisher. I still found a mistake in tence usage (-ing instead of -ed), so I'll let the author off the hook for this error.
On my personal rating system, I gave this book a 9/10 stars. Converting that to Goodread stars equaled 4.5 stars, rounded to 5 stars.
I recommend this to anyone looking for a good action military story.
Brown has either spent significant time in the service, has a ton of research notes, a copy of Janes or some combination of the three. I was blown away by his knowledge of so many things military.
It was obvious from the beginning that this was part of a series, so when I came across a reference to the past, I took it for what is worth and I'll do my "book diligence" as I go back to read previous books.
From the very first, the book had my attention. The non-action scenes in the book were great set-ups for the action scenes. The action scenes were hot and heavy. They reminded me a bit of Tom Clancy in his earlier books except the Air Force was the basic framework for the story.
The writing was so good I found myself disliking (hating?) the President very much. Her chicken-sch*t approach to foreign policy and her cowardice just burned my backside. Yes, the President is the Commander-in-Chief, but officers and non-commisioned officers have the responsibility to question orders that appear illegal. It's hard to believe that someone, somewhere in the command line would question the legality of an order that American forces secretly attack a group of American citizens working for the government of an allie. I guess the bastardization of our Constitution can now be the excuse any tyrant can use to justify dishonorable actions.
Even though I have been retired and am no longer active duty, I still am a cc: for back-channel info. The availability of a weapon that could effectively stop an entire Russian Army and its assigned air assets moves this book from the realm of fiction to that of science fiction or fantasy. OK, there is nothing inherently wrong with either science fiction or fantasy. This book takes place in Dale Browns universe and I'll have to accept his version of reality.
This ebook was a loan from my local library and from a respectable publisher. I still found a mistake in tence usage (-ing instead of -ed), so I'll let the author off the hook for this error.
On my personal rating system, I gave this book a 9/10 stars. Converting that to Goodread stars equaled 4.5 stars, rounded to 5 stars.
I recommend this to anyone looking for a good action military story.
August 3, 2015
The novel is a good read for any technical-minded war buff. The plot centers around central Europe and Russia. Borders are challenged and fights occur. In the controversy, the new American president chooses to use discussion as a vehicle for achieving an answer to the political dispute while Russia decides to show off its military muscle to achieve its ends. The author,Dale Brown, makes a few political decisions that may reveal/expose his own distaste for settling political disputes through verbal moderation. A scary read after its all over.
October 18, 2017
I was truly impressed. I like thrillers but was leary when I saw the list of weapons and aircraft at the front of the book, and the list of characters at first glance looked daunting but I was hooked immediately. Dale Brown writes a edge of the seat thriller and the political setting was definitely realistic.... I moved Price of Duty the next title of his to the top of my to-read pile and intend to track down the rest of the series.
If you like political or military thrillers or are a fan of Clancy, this series is right up your alley.
If you like political or military thrillers or are a fan of Clancy, this series is right up your alley.
July 3, 2021
This was my first, and likely last book in this series, so I admit to coming into it with out some of the background. But, I found the book really far fetched. Some of the tactical and battle strategy stuff was interesting, but overall so much off the book seemed ridiculous. And the characters were either stereotypes or underdeveloped (perhaps I would feel differently if I had read previous books?). Several plot lines stretched credibility way past the breaking point. Can't recommend this, and certainly don't feel like this author is the next Clancy as someone suggested.
July 28, 2021
This is the first Dale Brown novel I have read, and I really liked it. I picked this book up at a thrift shop for $1, just to see if Dale Brown might be someone that I would like to read -- and he is. I usually get hardbacks, and they may be hard to find -- but I will read more. I would like to find all the McLanahan books (but if there are 20 Patrick McLanahan, that may be hard to do). This story was good, it had more than enough action, intrigue, and twists in the story -- to keep turning the pages. I think it is one that I would recommend to others.
July 30, 2015
I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway. I was immediately reminded of a Tom Clancy novel - the first fifth of the book was a struggling slog as I waded through the background until the stage was set. Then, the action began and I felt I was strapped into a thrill ride. The characters were well developed and the plot was understandable, even to someone without a military background. I plan to look for more books by Dale Brown.
November 23, 2015
Dale Brown is one of my favorite authors. I have enjoyed his books since the very first book he wrote FLIGHT OF THE OLD DOG in 1987!!! I believe I enjoyed this book more than any of his books I've read for years. A very excellent contemporary book. Lots of great action and an ending that leads into the next book. If you like "hi tech", war, great action, suspenseful story line, this book is for you!!!!
July 21, 2019
One of Dale Brown's better books - 3 1/2 stars. The beginning and ending were quite action packed and if you suspended your beliefs about war, quite entertaining. Even after just 5 years since it's printing it is slightly dated in regards to real world events but again suspend your frame of reference and go with it. I'd equate this being a combination of a Tom Clancy book and a Captain America cartoon.......
June 5, 2015
A disgruntled Ukranian Major wages a covert war against Russia, making it look as if Poland is causing the havoc. Poland hires ex-President Martindale and Scion to help defend it's borders. With the aid of Patrick McClanahan in a CID and Brad McClanahan in the air, Russia is about to get it's butt kicked.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 140 reviews