Dark Side of the Moon

OPSIG Team Black #4

by Alan Jacobson

The OPSIG team must literally leave Earth to save it in this “thriller ride of a lifetime” from the USA Today–bestselling author of The Lost Codex (Gayle Lynds). In 1972, Apollo 17 returned to Earth with two hundred pounds of rock—as well as something far more dangerous than they could have imagined. For decades, the military concealed the crew’s mysterious discovery. But now a NASA contractor has leaked the intel to conspiring foreign powers, putting in their hands the most powerful weapon of mass destruction yet created.   While FBI profiler Karen Vail and OPSIG Team Black colleague Alexandra Rusakov try to root out the NASA mole and break up the spy ring, covert operatives Hector DeSantos and Aaron Uziel prepare for a mission beyond anything they’ve ever attempted—a spaceflight to the moon itself—to avert a war that could not only disrupt the global balance of power, but also end in catastrophic annihilation . . .   Dark Side of the Moon is the 4th book in the OPSIG Team Black series, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

Genres: Thriller, Science Fiction

492 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 19, 2018

About the author

ALAN JACOBSON is the USA Today bestselling author of a dozen critically acclaimed, award-winning thrillers. His 20 years of research and training with the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit, DEA, US Marshals Service, ATF, Scotland Yard, SWAT, and the US military bring unparalleled realism to his stories and characters—prompting the San Francisco Chronicle to write that “Alan Jacobson researches his books like a good newspaper reporter and then pushes the envelope into reality more thoroughly than the typical crime novel could ever allow.”

Jacobson's series protagonist, FBI profiler Karen Vail, has resonated with both female and male readers and inspired Nelson DeMille, James Patterson, and Michael Connelly to call Vail one of the most compelling heroes in suspense fiction. Likewise, his OPSIG Team Black series has been lauded by real-life Navy SEALs.

Jacobson’s thrillers have been published internationally and several have been optioned by Hollywood.

Web: www.AlanJacobson.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/AlanJacobsonFans Instagram: alan.jacobson
Twitter: @JacobsonAlan

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow what a ride ! Once again master storyteller Alan Jacobson hits another out of the park. This fourth team OPSIG novel featuring Aaron Uziel , Hector DeSantos, and Karen Vail have an out of this world adventure. The team must root out spies, traitors, and some shady characters who don't seem to fit into the project at hand. Very difficult to put down this thriller's pages fly by at NASA speed. Author Alan Jacobson weaves an intricate plot that twists and turns by the chapter. A must read ! 5 Stars ! Check it out.

[M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Espionage, NASA leaks, and a sabotaged moon mission. Was it Russia? China?

I wanted a mystery that was mostly a thriller, so I chose “Dark Side of the Moon.” It has dual storylines w FBI profiler Karen Vail in plot #1 about sabotage, espionage & kidnapping; and #2 features a moon shot and OPSIG covert operatives, Hector DeSantos and Aaron Uziel. Actually, the moon shot and walk about was more important. I Whisper-synced this book, so I could enjoy narrator Paul Christy’s voice-acting.

This is book 4 of the OPSIG Team Black series, but I read it as a stand-alone without problems. Very good twin storylines with likable, well-developed protagonists. Agent Vail’s position is unclear, because she’s present when a female OPSIG agent tortures an American mole/traitor. Yes, Vail shouldn’t be there. BUT he’s a spy for $, trained in spy craft, can resist coercion, is a saboteur, AND he has info that may save the astronauts’ lives.

There is a lorryload of technical information, because there is a sabotaged moon mission, computer tampering, and enough spy-craft. The subplots include international geo-politics, some military-industrial skullduggery, kidnapping a retired General, and spy vs spy type action. Overall, a very readable book.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really interesting concept for a book. Suppose the Apollo 17 astronauts found a new element (named Caesarium here) that would make way more powerful nuclear weapons possible. Nobody knew about it, until much later when the Russians and Chinese governments found out. Now there's a race to the moon to collect it.

The OPSIG team has to travel to the moon to prevent them from getting it. What's really interesting is that this book isn't really hardcore SciFi. There's no futuristic weapons and massive battle in space. Just regular Special Forces type guys who go through some basic training and then go to the moon. I liked the idea, but in the end, there was a little too much "well of course it worked out" going on.

[leonard rudnick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yeaa Alan,Fantastic !!!!!I

I have enjoyed reading all of your novels. To all lovers of mystery thrillers I highly recommend Alan Jacobson as an author to follow. You will not be disappointed. Talk about Goodreads.... Dark Side of the Moon is a prime example.

[Gary Hahn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding read, though a little long. Activity in space, on the moon and on land. Very entertaining I would highly recommend. Sort of a blunt ending though so have to wonder if there will be another book in this series in the future. Not sure since this book was written about 7 years ago.

[Yara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another awesome installment in the OPSIG/ Karen Vail series :)

[Vivien Tsang · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second best book of the series. Unputdownable just like The Lost Codex.

[Sandra Ball · Rating 5 out of 5]

Constant breath holding action in multiple areas of the world.

[Pamela Trusheim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining but sluggish in some chapters.

[Maria Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

This author writes in the action suspense genre. This book, which should be relevant in 2023 with our current attention to Mars exploration, tells us readers about a mission to the moon to stop an attempt to bring back a substance ( an alternative radioactive substance) that can produce a more deadly reaction than the nuclear substances we already have missed used as bombs. Space exploration in this book, just like in today's world is considered a global venture for the entire Earth with more private enterprises developing the technology needed than government authorities, but there's always some government official involved.
The story starts with a high-ranking retired decorated general, who has developed a company that works in government contracts, is kidnapped. At the same time, 2 astronauts in training for the next scheduled launch are killed in an explosion, which forces OPSIG-TEAM BLACK- to insert 2 of their men, Hector and Uzi into the program for a strenuous shortened training to be able to go on this launch. They were told of the parameters of their mission, which was to prevent any of this substance --called cesearium in the book-- from being taken off the Moon by anyone. Their launch was moved up in time when it was noticed that China had sent unmanned robotics to mine for this substance which arrived shortly before they did and Russia had also sent up a manned rocket with a 4 man team. They arrive shortly, within a day, of the Russians, after dealing with a malware attack on their equipment, which Uzi managed to hack fix partially for them to land properly on the Moon. Meanwhile, on Earth, their fellow OPSIG team is tracking the kidnapping and the cause of the malware through several individuals to find the kidnapped general who is Hector's dad. 3 of the American team make it home while destroying the Russian moon vehicle but during the initial entry phase, they find a box that registers as having the cesearium substance, which they manage to eject right before the burnout phase of their satellite and destroy the box and its contents and leaves them to face the fact that their path of descent is taking them to a Pacific ocean location right by the Russian/Chinese waters. But the Navy rescues them and their pod and the general is rescued. But the substance did make it back to Earth.
What I learned from reading this book is to not trust fully automated computer programs because of how easily they can be hacked by the examples shown in the book.

[Vivien · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unputdownable. There were a few dull moment when they get technical but overall awesome & worth the wait.