Publishers Weekly
04/01/2019
Military thriller fans will find little new in Bruns and Olson’s capable first novel. A Russian criminal enterprise known as the Bratva is losing money on its arms dealing business, so its leadership hires a terrorist, Rafiq Roshed, who’s presently living and working in North Korea, to stir up trouble in the Far East to boost sales. Roshed, a psychopath with a grudge against the world because of the death of his beloved wife, is an expert in cyber warfare. He hacks into the computers of the Chinese, Japanese, and the American militaries, and begins pitting their respective forces against each other until WWIII looms. A team of cyber-genius midshipmen from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., is assigned the job of finding the elusive Roshed and stopping the upcoming war. Bruns and Olson handle the action scenes well, but the surfeit of overly familiar characters and the shopworn plot will leave readers hoping that the authors will come up with something more original next time. Agent: John Talbot, Talbot Fortune. (June)
From the Publisher
"Fans of the cyberwarfare genre will enjoy this novel's snappy pace, broad cast of characters, and timeliness." Kirkus Reviews
"With their background in the U.S. Navy, both Bruns and Olson have the right stuff to create a realistic military tale." Booklist
“Compelling characters and high octane narrative drive define Rules of Engagement. In a global tour de force, Bruns and Olson deliver a crafty villain, patriotic protagonists, and a truly frightening and unique World War III scenario. A must read for all fans of thrillers of every variety!" Anthony J. Tata, Brigadier General, US Army (Ret), national bestselling author of Dark Winter
"In this terrifying age of hacking that threatens not only our elections, but every infrastructure from our power grid to our economic system, the ultimate threat would be a cyber war that touched off a shooting war. Rules of Engagement lays out that highly plausible scenario in one of those fantastic novels that is hard to put down. Hell of a fine read!" David Hagberg, New York Times bestselling author
"Timely, gripping, and packed with realistic detail, Rules of Engagement grabs you from the start and doesn’t let go. I’ll read anything Bruns and Olson write." Marc Cameron, New York Times bestselling author of Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan series
"Rules of Engagement is a classic thriller that has it all - compelling, realistic action, vivid characters and a relentless pace. You won't be able to put it down!" Rick Campbell, author of Trident Deception and Treason