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Jerry Mitchell #2
Cold Choices
Following the events Jerry Mitchell encountered in Dangerous Ground , the pilot-turned-submarine officer is now a department head, the navigator, aboard USS Seawolf . Now on a mission deep in the Barents Sea, north of Russia, Seawolf explores the sea floor, part of a sophisticated reconnaissance plan that will watch the Russian navy as it trains for battle. Although well outside Russia's territorial waters, Seawolf is ambushed by Russia's newest submarine, Severodvinsk . Although it doesn't fire any weapons, its aggressive new captain, Alexi Petrov, harasses the intruder with dangerously fast, insanely close passes by the American boat.
The two subs collide, with the Russian boat crippled and trapped on the bottom. Only Seawolf knows where she is, and the rest of the Russian fleet is too angry to listen. Mitchell and his shipmates have to keep their own damaged boat afloat, figure out a way to make the Russians listen, and keep the trapped Russian submariners alive until they can be saved - if that is even possible.
This edition of the book is the deluxe, tall rack mass market paperback.
The two subs collide, with the Russian boat crippled and trapped on the bottom. Only Seawolf knows where she is, and the rest of the Russian fleet is too angry to listen. Mitchell and his shipmates have to keep their own damaged boat afloat, figure out a way to make the Russians listen, and keep the trapped Russian submariners alive until they can be saved - if that is even possible.
This edition of the book is the deluxe, tall rack mass market paperback.
608 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published May 12, 2009
141 people are currently reading
681 people want to read
About the author
Larry Bond
75 books412 followersLarry Bond is the author of several bestselling military thrillers, including Crash Dive, Cold Choices, Dangerous Ground, Red Phoenix and the Larry Bond’s First Team and Larry Bond’s Red Dragon Rising series. He was a naval officer for six years, serving four on a destroyer and two on shore duty in the Washington DC area. He's also worked as a warfare analyst and antisubmarine technology expert, and he now writes and designs computer games, including Harpoon and Command at Sea. He makes his home in Springfield, Virginia.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/larrybond
http://us.macmillan.com/author/larrybond
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 96 reviews
September 30, 2025
If you liked HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER, you're going to love this one!
In Larry Bond's best-selling novel, DANGEROUS GROUND, techno-thriller fans met Lt Jerry Mitchell, a former naval aviator who made a mid-career switch to submarines after his Hornet fighter crashed with the resulting injuries sidelining him forever from flight status. Having returned successfully from a dangerous mission aboard the USS Memphis, an out-of-date aging rust bucket, Mitchell has now been assigned as the navigator aboard the sleek, ultra-sophisticated USS Seawolf, one of the US Navy's most modern and fiercely capable nuclear attack submarines. Their mission - complete a secret hydrographic survey of the floor of the Barents Sea and leave behind stealthy surveillance technology that will keep the navy on top of Russian submarine movement out of their far northern Arctic bases.
Despite the crew's best efforts, their presence is detected by Aleksey Petrov, the commander of Russia's newly commissioned nuclear sub, the Severodvinsk. A testosterone drive cat-and-mouse game of brinksmanship results in a catastrophic underwater collision that sends the Seawolf limping home badly damaged. Unknown to the US crew, the Severodvinsk has been sent crashing to the sea floor and is completely disabled, unable to communicate with their Russian base and trapped with no working emergency escape pod to the surface. All the clocks are ticking - food, water and oxygen - but the clock that's ticking the loudest and most quickly is the one recording carbon dioxide levels. When the air scrubbers can no longer reduce CO2 levels below a toxic 5% level, a painful inevitable death quickly follows for all the trapped men.
No mystery from the point of view of plot in COLD CHOICES, just a superbly built thriller built around naval technology, politics, cold-war posturing and space age peace-time military maneuvering. COLD CHOICES is a first rate techno-thriller that will have you turning pages just as quickly as you can manage. But as Larry Bond pointed out in the author's note preceding DANGEROUS GROUND, a techno-thriller ought to be much more than a compilation of technical data which anyone can find with proper research. In the case of COLD CHOICES, Bond has done a superb job, not only with individual characterization, but also with a compelling description of submariner culture - their attitudes, their loyalties, their black sense of humour, their fears and their bravery.
Highly recommended.
Paul Weiss
In Larry Bond's best-selling novel, DANGEROUS GROUND, techno-thriller fans met Lt Jerry Mitchell, a former naval aviator who made a mid-career switch to submarines after his Hornet fighter crashed with the resulting injuries sidelining him forever from flight status. Having returned successfully from a dangerous mission aboard the USS Memphis, an out-of-date aging rust bucket, Mitchell has now been assigned as the navigator aboard the sleek, ultra-sophisticated USS Seawolf, one of the US Navy's most modern and fiercely capable nuclear attack submarines. Their mission - complete a secret hydrographic survey of the floor of the Barents Sea and leave behind stealthy surveillance technology that will keep the navy on top of Russian submarine movement out of their far northern Arctic bases.
Despite the crew's best efforts, their presence is detected by Aleksey Petrov, the commander of Russia's newly commissioned nuclear sub, the Severodvinsk. A testosterone drive cat-and-mouse game of brinksmanship results in a catastrophic underwater collision that sends the Seawolf limping home badly damaged. Unknown to the US crew, the Severodvinsk has been sent crashing to the sea floor and is completely disabled, unable to communicate with their Russian base and trapped with no working emergency escape pod to the surface. All the clocks are ticking - food, water and oxygen - but the clock that's ticking the loudest and most quickly is the one recording carbon dioxide levels. When the air scrubbers can no longer reduce CO2 levels below a toxic 5% level, a painful inevitable death quickly follows for all the trapped men.
No mystery from the point of view of plot in COLD CHOICES, just a superbly built thriller built around naval technology, politics, cold-war posturing and space age peace-time military maneuvering. COLD CHOICES is a first rate techno-thriller that will have you turning pages just as quickly as you can manage. But as Larry Bond pointed out in the author's note preceding DANGEROUS GROUND, a techno-thriller ought to be much more than a compilation of technical data which anyone can find with proper research. In the case of COLD CHOICES, Bond has done a superb job, not only with individual characterization, but also with a compelling description of submariner culture - their attitudes, their loyalties, their black sense of humour, their fears and their bravery.
Highly recommended.
Paul Weiss
April 6, 2022
Apr 5, 620pm ~~ Review asap.
945pm ~~ This is the second of six Larry Bond titles that feature Jerry Mitchell, Navy pilot turned submariner. I had read the first one, Dangerous Ground, in December 2021 and after discovering that it was part of a short series I treated myself to the rest of them at Thriftbooks. And just so they would not spend years waiting for me in the bookcase, I chose Larry Bond as print author in the second phase of my ON AIR personal challenge where I focus on two authors each quarter.
I just looked over my review of Dangerous Ground and had to laugh about s few things that popped up the same way in this book. There is still a young officer struggling to learn his duties, there is still a captain that at crucial times seems to be not quite as together as he should be, and there is still a pretty outlandish sequence of events, to be realistically honest here.
My advice is to forget all of that and just enjoy the story!! It's a corker!!
Our Jerry is assigned to the Seawolf in this book, and he is no longer the struggling young officer. His main duty is Navigation, and he's good at it. There is another secret mission, of course, but this time in international waters, surveying an area close to Russian territory. But I just noticed that on the back of my edition the blurb claims that the crew of the 'covertly observe the Russian navy training for battle'.
Sorry, but that is not accurate. Seawolf was conducting her surveys, but they had no idea any Russian boats were around until the accident. Seems their remote control vehicle woke up a remote sonar sensor belonging to the Russians and it tattled. So a hotshot new submarine skipper with a patriotic complex big as life and twice as ugly came roaring along to teach them a lesson. And then there was that accident. Both subs are damaged, but how badly and what will happen next?
The book started a little slowly but very quickly became almost impossible to put down. Just the way I like my submarine stories to be!!
There is something that puzzles me, though. In an author's note at the beginning of the book, Bond says that he has a writing partner by the name of Chris Carlson.
"Each of us approached this story from a different angle, but instead of creating conflict, it made our combined work a richer story. It's impossible to look at the text and say "Chris wrote this", or "I wrote that".
Well, great, but why not add Chris Carlson as co-author on the cover of the books? I suppose there is a reason for that omission, but it does not seem quite fair, does it.
One other point. For years the idea of the Russians as The Evil Enemy seemed stale and dated to me. But current events have shown that some things never change. The reputation has been earned again and reading this book with the background news about Ukraine playing in my head was beyond sad.
The brutality we are witnessing these days is disgusting, stupid, and shameful. I know that we cannot say 'all Russians are thus and so' just because certain of them are and have convinced others to act the same way. But I was angry while reading this book, especially angry with the older characters who insisted on clinging to their warped ideas of the way the world was in the 'good old days'.
The good old days were never that great no matter what country people lived in. The world should not be forced to return to them. I hope that people everywhere will prevail against such foolish thinking, wherever it comes from.
945pm ~~ This is the second of six Larry Bond titles that feature Jerry Mitchell, Navy pilot turned submariner. I had read the first one, Dangerous Ground, in December 2021 and after discovering that it was part of a short series I treated myself to the rest of them at Thriftbooks. And just so they would not spend years waiting for me in the bookcase, I chose Larry Bond as print author in the second phase of my ON AIR personal challenge where I focus on two authors each quarter.
I just looked over my review of Dangerous Ground and had to laugh about s few things that popped up the same way in this book. There is still a young officer struggling to learn his duties, there is still a captain that at crucial times seems to be not quite as together as he should be, and there is still a pretty outlandish sequence of events, to be realistically honest here.
My advice is to forget all of that and just enjoy the story!! It's a corker!!
Our Jerry is assigned to the Seawolf in this book, and he is no longer the struggling young officer. His main duty is Navigation, and he's good at it. There is another secret mission, of course, but this time in international waters, surveying an area close to Russian territory. But I just noticed that on the back of my edition the blurb claims that the crew of the 'covertly observe the Russian navy training for battle'.
Sorry, but that is not accurate. Seawolf was conducting her surveys, but they had no idea any Russian boats were around until the accident. Seems their remote control vehicle woke up a remote sonar sensor belonging to the Russians and it tattled. So a hotshot new submarine skipper with a patriotic complex big as life and twice as ugly came roaring along to teach them a lesson. And then there was that accident. Both subs are damaged, but how badly and what will happen next?
The book started a little slowly but very quickly became almost impossible to put down. Just the way I like my submarine stories to be!!
There is something that puzzles me, though. In an author's note at the beginning of the book, Bond says that he has a writing partner by the name of Chris Carlson.
"Each of us approached this story from a different angle, but instead of creating conflict, it made our combined work a richer story. It's impossible to look at the text and say "Chris wrote this", or "I wrote that".
Well, great, but why not add Chris Carlson as co-author on the cover of the books? I suppose there is a reason for that omission, but it does not seem quite fair, does it.
One other point. For years the idea of the Russians as The Evil Enemy seemed stale and dated to me. But current events have shown that some things never change. The reputation has been earned again and reading this book with the background news about Ukraine playing in my head was beyond sad.
The brutality we are witnessing these days is disgusting, stupid, and shameful. I know that we cannot say 'all Russians are thus and so' just because certain of them are and have convinced others to act the same way. But I was angry while reading this book, especially angry with the older characters who insisted on clinging to their warped ideas of the way the world was in the 'good old days'.
The good old days were never that great no matter what country people lived in. The world should not be forced to return to them. I hope that people everywhere will prevail against such foolish thinking, wherever it comes from.
May 6, 2015
Book number 2 for the Jerry Mitchell series. Jerry is now onboard the USS Seawolf as what appears to be third in command so apparently some time has passed since the first story. Again this is very much a popcorn and explosions kind of movie.. er.. I mean book. Don't expect great writing or complex plots expect explosions, and adventure, and blatant heart string tugging attempts.
Ok that last one is kind of the main drawback to this book. The plot is contrived to arouse emotions over the search and rescue mission that is the main plot of this story. There are no plot twists to speak of and the ending was very predictable. However, the book is pleasant to read.
The author(s) handled the viewpoint changes much better in this book than in the first one so that they were far less jarring, having characters reprise their roles from the first story probably helped that. This story preaches a "cold-war-was-bad" mentality and takes pains to show that the US is moving past that and the Russian Federation is not. The story also goes out of it's way to show the US government as how it should be and not how it really is. The Iron Law of Bureaucracy is real and no amount of wishing will change the US government or it's myriad of competing bureaucracies.
However, since this is a popcorn novel I forgive these flaws and confess that I enjoyed reading the book and will continue reading the Mitchell series.
Ok that last one is kind of the main drawback to this book. The plot is contrived to arouse emotions over the search and rescue mission that is the main plot of this story. There are no plot twists to speak of and the ending was very predictable. However, the book is pleasant to read.
The author(s) handled the viewpoint changes much better in this book than in the first one so that they were far less jarring, having characters reprise their roles from the first story probably helped that. This story preaches a "cold-war-was-bad" mentality and takes pains to show that the US is moving past that and the Russian Federation is not. The story also goes out of it's way to show the US government as how it should be and not how it really is. The Iron Law of Bureaucracy is real and no amount of wishing will change the US government or it's myriad of competing bureaucracies.
However, since this is a popcorn novel I forgive these flaws and confess that I enjoyed reading the book and will continue reading the Mitchell series.
June 24, 2025
The second book in the Jerry Mitchell series has him aboard the USS Seawolf as nav officer. Once again the sub is headed to the Barents Sea, outside Russian waters. lt's another secret mission, which comes to a crashing halt when they literally run into a Russian sub.
What follows is a rescue mission, with the expected posturing by. both the Russian Navy and government. Lots of thrilling underwater action. l enjoyed the book even more than the first entry and look forward to the next.
What follows is a rescue mission, with the expected posturing by. both the Russian Navy and government. Lots of thrilling underwater action. l enjoyed the book even more than the first entry and look forward to the next.
June 5, 2009
This is a really excellent military thriller. The United States sends out a hunter killer submarine to survey the ocean floor using unmanned submersible vehicles in an area where the Russians train. The idea is that the USA will plant recording devises there so they can find out about Russian subs. On board the sub is Jerry, the navigator, who is a former pilot. He is the main focus on the USA ship although the author Larry Bond, who is working at the top of his game here, clearly knows his stuff. Bond carefully discusses submarine life on he boat which is captained by Rudel (sp) and has various crew members.
Meanwhile in Russia at a naval base there, the Russians are commissioning their own newest hunter killer sub, which is to be captained by a young captain who has trained under a very aggressive former head of submarine warfare. The Russians know that the Americans have been swimming in their waters and want the USA to stop so they have laid a trap -- they have installed on the seabed accustic listening devises -- the plan is if they hear a US sub in the area, they warn the Russians who will send a sub to show the USA the exit.
The Russians learn of the US presence in the water and send their new sub there but b/c of aggressive action by the Russian sub, there is a collision and the Russian sub is stranded beneath the sea. Can the crew escape.
There are various rescue attempts and Bond shows the breakdown of the various people, how the US might react, how the Russian navy and the Russian people might react.
I thought the action was tense, vivid and believable and the submarine knowledge was spot on. I am not sure I believed all of the internet stuff with the families -- but you make you own decision.
Meanwhile in Russia at a naval base there, the Russians are commissioning their own newest hunter killer sub, which is to be captained by a young captain who has trained under a very aggressive former head of submarine warfare. The Russians know that the Americans have been swimming in their waters and want the USA to stop so they have laid a trap -- they have installed on the seabed accustic listening devises -- the plan is if they hear a US sub in the area, they warn the Russians who will send a sub to show the USA the exit.
The Russians learn of the US presence in the water and send their new sub there but b/c of aggressive action by the Russian sub, there is a collision and the Russian sub is stranded beneath the sea. Can the crew escape.
There are various rescue attempts and Bond shows the breakdown of the various people, how the US might react, how the Russian navy and the Russian people might react.
I thought the action was tense, vivid and believable and the submarine knowledge was spot on. I am not sure I believed all of the internet stuff with the families -- but you make you own decision.
September 22, 2009
A continuation of an earlier novel about a former pilot turned submariner (On Dangerous Ground) ...looking forward to another techie-thriller from Bond...a pretty good examination into the training regimine for submariner leadership and the qualities of effective leadership in all areas of life...story centrers around a sub-to-sub collision in the Barents Sea and the ensuing rescue involving Norway, Russia and the US...solid read!!!
February 5, 2013
While this follow up to "Dangerous Ground" (10 stars) contains lots of excitement, it is simply too long. The lack of editing slows, clogs, diminishes and nearly sinks the plot. The loosely termed "editor," should be informed that its OK to trim and cut to sharpen a novel. 7 of 10 stars
April 4, 2021
This is a really enjoyable book; I enjoyed reading it immensely. The story is about a US submarine on a secret mission in the Bering Sea north of Norway and its protagonist Russian submarine trying to chase it away from "Russian" seas. The two ships collide and both are damaged. The Russian gets the worst of the deal and is stranded on the sea floor; she has limited life support capability (maybe six days), has no communication and just hopes that her HQ will recognize her absence and send rescue. The American loses all communication except long wave, uncoded radio, sending only; she has serious damage to her bow, has speed and noise limitations and her periscopes are inoperable.
Both countries and crews believe their subs are victims and the other sub is at fault. The American gets its message out first and its report over open radio is picked up and posted to the web as soon as she reports. The American sub continues to issue public info even as it becomes able to receive instructions as it is unable to code its outgoing messages. These messages incite the Russians. The families of the Russian crew learn the status their sub and loved ones and publish that information on a web site. This further incites the Russian Navy while the American crew learns that they are the only vessel who know exactly where the Russian sub is. They are also the only vessel in a position to assist the Russian sub and extend the lives of the Russian crew until a full rescue team can reach them.
There is lots of drama in this book. The story comes out piece by piece, maintaining interest throughout. Jerry Mitchell, the navigator of the US sub makes a return as the protagonist in this novel, helping in a number of ways that the other officers are not trained in or did not think of in this out-of-the-box problem. He is unknowingly assisted by Dr. Joanna Patterson who chairs the team put together by the President to manage this issue until the American sub is home safe.
Some reviewers have said this book is 50 pages too long for the story. I do agree that Bond got a little carried away in a couple of places, however I do not think you could eliminate more than 10 to 20 pages without cutting into the story. In fact, if you wanted to add politics to the story, in both the USA and Russia, you would probably need 50 pages more. I was happy to see this omitted. Patterson played a thankfully minor role and the Russian crew families also played a surprising but minor role in the book.
Very enjoyable read:
Both countries and crews believe their subs are victims and the other sub is at fault. The American gets its message out first and its report over open radio is picked up and posted to the web as soon as she reports. The American sub continues to issue public info even as it becomes able to receive instructions as it is unable to code its outgoing messages. These messages incite the Russians. The families of the Russian crew learn the status their sub and loved ones and publish that information on a web site. This further incites the Russian Navy while the American crew learns that they are the only vessel who know exactly where the Russian sub is. They are also the only vessel in a position to assist the Russian sub and extend the lives of the Russian crew until a full rescue team can reach them.
There is lots of drama in this book. The story comes out piece by piece, maintaining interest throughout. Jerry Mitchell, the navigator of the US sub makes a return as the protagonist in this novel, helping in a number of ways that the other officers are not trained in or did not think of in this out-of-the-box problem. He is unknowingly assisted by Dr. Joanna Patterson who chairs the team put together by the President to manage this issue until the American sub is home safe.
Some reviewers have said this book is 50 pages too long for the story. I do agree that Bond got a little carried away in a couple of places, however I do not think you could eliminate more than 10 to 20 pages without cutting into the story. In fact, if you wanted to add politics to the story, in both the USA and Russia, you would probably need 50 pages more. I was happy to see this omitted. Patterson played a thankfully minor role and the Russian crew families also played a surprising but minor role in the book.
Very enjoyable read:
April 1, 2025
Excellent Submarine Novel
This is another well written book! Story. Characters. Action.
Nearly in tears at the conclusion.
Waiting for another book in this series to be offered at a discount.
This is another well written book! Story. Characters. Action.
Nearly in tears at the conclusion.
Waiting for another book in this series to be offered at a discount.
September 24, 2025
VERY ENJOYABLE
As someone who once verified that submarine repairs were correctly performed, I liked the details about the sub’s operation and operational performance.
As someone who once verified that submarine repairs were correctly performed, I liked the details about the sub’s operation and operational performance.
May 19, 2015
The second installment of the Jerry Mitchell saga.
An American Sub on a secret mapping mission just north of the Artic Circle is discovered by a russian sub and chased. The Americans were using remote mapping vehicles which did not allow for a tether. The Russians, unaware of this technology, made moves to cut the tether they thought connected the sub and the UUV. In the process, collided with the American sub. Damaged to the American Sub, more damage to the Russian Sub.
The American sub commander makes a decision to help with the rescue of the Russians and the story develops
This is an outstanding book. Very detailed and realistic. One of the best books I have read this year.
An American Sub on a secret mapping mission just north of the Artic Circle is discovered by a russian sub and chased. The Americans were using remote mapping vehicles which did not allow for a tether. The Russians, unaware of this technology, made moves to cut the tether they thought connected the sub and the UUV. In the process, collided with the American sub. Damaged to the American Sub, more damage to the Russian Sub.
The American sub commander makes a decision to help with the rescue of the Russians and the story develops
This is an outstanding book. Very detailed and realistic. One of the best books I have read this year.
June 8, 2016
While many might think Cold Choices is a bit far-fetched I actually wonder if he might have uncovered a story that reminded me of what Reagan told Gorbachev many years ago - an alien attack would bring the two people together for a common cause. Bond for the alien and in a plot where he masters beautifully with his insight and understanding the story of how two old enemies face the challenge of interacting with each other in the new world - the old way is hard to give up and the willingness to sacrifice is no less a challenge. I actually think that pending a person's presupposition will impact them greatly in liking or disliking the story.
August 9, 2009
Overall a good read but draggs a bit in the middle. A good editor could have cut 50 pages from this book and kept the story intact.
August 18, 2019
Another exciting submarine thriller by Larry Bond featuring Lt Jerry Mitchell, now a department officer and the navigator on a new nuclear attack submarine. The plot features a collision with a Russian submarine in the Barents Sea requiring Jerry and his crew to rescue the downed crew despite opposition from the Russian government. Dr. Joanna Patterson, now the wife of Senator Lowell Hardy, Jerry's former skipper, resurfaces as the leader of the US rescue mission negotiating with the Russians so that they swallow their pride and permit US assistance. As the cliché goes, this is one you just can’t put down. If you are a fan of Bond submarine novels, this is one of his best. By the way, get yourself a good map of King Boreas’s kingdom before reading this one to follow all of the places around the Russian island of Novaya Zemlya (home of the former Soviet Union nuclear test site) between the Barents and the Kara Seas where all of the action takes place in this and the other Larry Bond Jerry Mitchell novels.
February 5, 2023
I very much enjoyed the first book in the Jerry Mitchell series, and I very much enjoyed this volume as well. Jerry is now on a new boat with a new captain. While on a search mission for Soviet activity the Russians discover the USS Seawolf in what they claim are there territorial waters, and their captain is pissed. Using the Soviet's newest advanced attack submarine, the Severodvinsk, the aggressively seek to drive Seawolf away. Except their new captain gets too aggressive and the boats collide, badly damaging both. Sevorodvisnk is trapped on the bottom of the sea, and Seawolf is badly crippled. But under authority of the President and his personal representative, Dr Patterson (a former crew mate of Mitchell in volume #1), the US launches a rescue effort to save the desperate Russian crew. This pisses off the Russians even more. But in the end all sides, includes Norwegian assistance, work together to save the doomed boat and her crew.
I am looking forward to the next adventure in volume #3
I am looking forward to the next adventure in volume #3
May 31, 2025
Seawolf is the latest SSN in the nuclear submarine stable of the United States navy. Jerry is the new navigator on board. Seawolf was tasked to conduct a oceanbed survey of the Barrent Sea and to observe any Russian naval exercise. Meanwhile the Severodvinsk was the newest nuclear attack submarine in the Northen fleet under the command of Captain Petrov. He was assigned to investigate a contact in the Barrent sea west of Novaya Zemlya. In the heat of the maneuver the two subs collided sending the Russian sub to the bottom while Seawolf was badly damaged.
The subsequent rescue mission of the downed Russian sub need the cooperation of the Russian fleet vessels ss well as the USS Winston Churchill and the Norwegian salvage ship. There are lots of tension only a true submariner can recount and Larry Bond speaks the jargon flawlessly. A great read for those who love submarine.
The subsequent rescue mission of the downed Russian sub need the cooperation of the Russian fleet vessels ss well as the USS Winston Churchill and the Norwegian salvage ship. There are lots of tension only a true submariner can recount and Larry Bond speaks the jargon flawlessly. A great read for those who love submarine.
September 3, 2018
I was originally introduced to Larry Bond's work when I read a book by Harold Coyle and was looking for other military thrillers back in the mid 1990's. I found Vortex and was hooked. I have been reading a lot since I retired and I came across Dangerous Ground, the first of the Jerry Mitchell books, written about a Naval officer in atomic submarines. While I was an enlisted sailor I went through Naval Nuclear Power school at Mare Island, CA and then Nuclear Power Prototype training in Idaho Falls, ID. So I have a background in nuclear powered ships and submarines and that drew me into reading more of this series. I look forward to reading all of the books in the Jerry Mitchell series.
September 23, 2019
Jerry Mitchell is on USS Seawolf, a Seawolf class submarine on a mission in the arctic, when an accident happens. He is still a junior grade lieutenant but now navigator, a more central role, giving him access to most everything that happens. Most of the book is about the political and practical consequences of having both Russians and Americans in close proximity to each other.
Larry Bond does a good job at painting a plausible chain of events and behaviours though there is a huge uncertainty factor so if something similar was to happen in the real world, I can imagine very different outcomes that would also be plausible.
Larry Bond does a good job at painting a plausible chain of events and behaviours though there is a huge uncertainty factor so if something similar was to happen in the real world, I can imagine very different outcomes that would also be plausible.
December 24, 2018
First I picked up Arctic Gambit, thoroughly enjoyed it and thought I'd found another author with a number of books I'd not discovered. I obtained Jerry Mitchell #1 and enjoyed getting the backstory of Jerry. I got as far a page 70 on this one and realized that I did not have any interest in finishing the book. It appears to follow the same pattern as the first one, change some names, some equipment, locations and the story line does not appear to differ much.
January 8, 2018
What can I say, this book has been one of my guilty pleasures for a couple of years now. Even though you know it is going end well, it is still well-paced and keeps you at the end of your seat for a couple of sections. If you are looking for a book for a long flight or to distract you while you are sick, this particular novel is perfect.
July 16, 2018
This book will keep you involved all the was through! I’m not Russian and got slightly bogged down in their introduction chapter but the action starts and it is very difficult to put it down. Thank you Larry Bond for a thrilling read and you kind remembering in the afterword.
Retired Army Veteran, 30 years service, rank E9, female
Retired Army Veteran, 30 years service, rank E9, female
August 3, 2019
What an amazing book.
A review can’t capture it but let’s say it leaves you thinking.
For those people that read it and start reciting “realism and physics” that is not the point.
This is a story about professionals from multiple nations but also about human beings they are and what they think.
Great second book of a series looking forward to number 3.
A review can’t capture it but let’s say it leaves you thinking.
For those people that read it and start reciting “realism and physics” that is not the point.
This is a story about professionals from multiple nations but also about human beings they are and what they think.
Great second book of a series looking forward to number 3.
October 1, 2019
This is a good submarine thriller, I liked it much better than the first Jerry Mitchell book Dangerous Ground. While this book has a good submarine plot, an underwater submarine collision and the fight for survival has been a bit overdone in my opinion. If you got through Dangerous Ground, you will enjoy Cold Choices, which has a lot less fluff.
May 30, 2025
great book
Larry Bond never disappoints and this book is a testament to that fact. He writes a very technical and interesting book. It’s filled with information only a navy or sea going person would understand so this is very good for us land lubbers. Lots of good dialogue, suspense and then resolution. Highly recommend this one!
Larry Bond never disappoints and this book is a testament to that fact. He writes a very technical and interesting book. It’s filled with information only a navy or sea going person would understand so this is very good for us land lubbers. Lots of good dialogue, suspense and then resolution. Highly recommend this one!
November 29, 2020
Thrilling to the end
Plausible scenario, good combination of thriller, international human relations and cooperation, technology and engineering and segue from book one. Looking forward to reading book 3
Plausible scenario, good combination of thriller, international human relations and cooperation, technology and engineering and segue from book one. Looking forward to reading book 3
May 19, 2021
While some of this book's plot (especially at the beginning) seems a bit contrived and slow-paced, the writing is good and the tension and emotions in the last third are top-notch...
If you like the genre, I'd recommend the read....
If you like the genre, I'd recommend the read....
August 26, 2025
Bond's Best
Totally captivating. Well written, well edited, and well presented! To use an overused phrase, this book was an absolute page-turner. Tempted to go back and read it again tonight. Thank you, Mr. Bond!
Totally captivating. Well written, well edited, and well presented! To use an overused phrase, this book was an absolute page-turner. Tempted to go back and read it again tonight. Thank you, Mr. Bond!
October 28, 2016
Good book!
Gripping read on every page almost as if one became part of the story
Fantastic writer. I cannot wait to read the next one
Gripping read on every page almost as if one became part of the story
Fantastic writer. I cannot wait to read the next one
August 30, 2017
Having an interest in submarines, I couldn't tear my self away from this book. It's one of Bond's best.
September 25, 2017
Long but good
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