Jan 2025 BOTM: The Malacca Incident by Jack Newman > Likes and Comments

January 2025 Book of the Month
This is a selection from the group’s member-authors. It was a 2-way tie, so their are 2 books this month.

The Malacca Incident by Jack Newman (2024)


Publisher’s Summary
When a test of a cutting-edge hypersonic missile goes awry, it triggers an escalating series of violent events that threatens to bring the nations of China and the United States into open conflict.

Daniel ‘Danny’ Blackburn is an American intelligence analyst posted to Australia and working as the lead analyst on the hypersonic missile project. When the new missile goes missing, Danny becomes caught between his loyalty to his country of birth and the land he now lives in, as he is thrust into an increasingly dangerous game played by self-interested individuals who seek to overrule the will of entire nations.

Ming Chiang is tasked with secreting the discovered hypersonic weapon back to China, but he must do so without alerting the American and Australian forces, who are desperately searching for their prized technology.

The two forces will engage in a game of cat and mouse as sinister truths are revealed and military forces clash, sending ripples throughout the far reaches of the world.

Ordered a hardcover. If I can’t listen to an audiobook, then a cup of coffee and a hardcover works.

Got it, and the hypersonic missile is away …

Steve wrote: "January 2025 Book of the Month
This is a selection from the group’s member-authors. It was a 2-way tie, so their are 2 books this month.

The Malacca Incident by Jack Newman (2024)
[bookcover:The M..."

Audiobook is coming, unfortunately, its a lengthy process. Enjoy and look forward to seeing how you find it. :)

Just downloaded it, diving in today!

The action scenes rip, big fun! Nearing the climax I think.

Chapter 1: We just read Dark Matter which does quantum leaps across the multiverse … so techno-thrillers sometimes stretch plausibility a ways in order to ask an interesting what if? For example, Ice Station had an implausibly capable stealth jet. These books are still enjoyable. However, Tom Clancy was at his best in Red Storm Rising just saying what real technology could potentially do if/when push came to shove. Clancy wasn’t perfect, but sold a few books. He caused cringes with his hyperbolically “idyllic” (in his mind) John Wayne-esque super moral can-do-no-wrong “hero” characters in a black and white (no gray in between) good versus evil dynamic. So, not perfect, but I liked the realism of the technology in many of his books, most of the time. Right? A 5th generation stealth jet as in the movie Maverick doesn’t have to do the radical tail-slide vertical 360 maneuver in a dogfight to be cool … though it was pretty damn cool. With that in mind … comments on chapter 1. (view spoiler)[A new hypersonic missile landing in Iran struck me as … pretty damn unlikely. It says the ship is 100 miles west of Christmas Island, but still, Iran is how far away? 4500 miles? There is no way they launch directly at Iran if it is remotely in range. Even if they did, it would have to fly further than any known such missile by quite some margin just to reach Iran. The longest range hypersonic missile is estimated at “only” 1725 miles. The captain of the ship didn’t seem “all over it” … meaning fully informed of all details and everything going on as he would have been. If the missile had failed or lost communications, or lost its bearings, and was possibly outside a predetermined acceptable test shot perimeter, … it would’ve self destructed well before landing, let alone going anywhere near the coastal waters of Iran. And, they would’ve gone to incredible lengths to clear the water of all ships, which is another reason they wouldn’t launch it straight at Iran, because there’d be far too many ships in that direction. They’d have simulated the hell out of that shot and have a pretty narrow envelope of where it was going to fly. The missile program could be over a billion for salaries for all the engineering staff for years, but a singular missile isn’t “billions”. They could manufacture another missile. The cost of the hardware isn’t billions. Even a sophisticated F-35 is roughly $100M, not multiple hundreds of millions, and a missile, while very sophisticated, is not as multifaceted as an F-35. It’s not like unexpected things don’t happen in missile tests, but … this was far-fetched. The cost to have navy clear all merchant and fishing ships from the test area are tremendously expensive and they don’t change plans and suddenly pick a different area on a whim. (hide spoiler)] All that said, Chapter 1 has me intrigued and ready for chapter 2. But, I have to admit, … if it isn’t audio and I’ve got multiple books to choose from … I go audio most of the time. I’ll keep chipping away, … I like the hypersonic missile topic, … but I’m not going to get a non-audio book done in January.

Just circling back to report I really enjoyed the sea battles in this book. Tom clancy-esque. Fun read, good job, Jack!

If you opt to have Amazon create an AI audiobook for this like Jed did for his book The Yamanaka Factors, let us know. I’d like to revisit it then. I just kept choosing audiobook alternatives as I do and never finished this one.