Retrophisch Review: Cold Zero

Two top-tier thriller writers team up for a brand new story that combines the best of what both are known for writing. Brad Thor and Ward Larsen’s Cold Zero features a Chinese scientist defecting to the US with the help of the CIA, bringing along a piece of technology he has invented that can alter the balance of power throughout the entire world. The Chinese Ministry of State Security brings all its assets to bear, and then some, managing to down the state-of-the-art airliner the scientist and his CIA handlers are on—somewhere in the unforgiving Arctic Circle.

The race to survive not just the harsh, unforgiving natural elements, but the impending hunt by Chinese forces, is complicated by the arrival of a Russian submarine. As the CIA and the American military work to bring as many assets in to the rescue operation as possible, the tension ratchets up as the weather’s timing threatens to kill the survivors, if the Chinese don’t do it first. The cast of characters surrounding the main ones represent a wide swath across the military and intelligence forces of arguably the three most powerful nations in the world, and the novel highlights the importance of the Arctic in geopolitical relations for years to come.

This is a fantastic thriller. It reads like vintage, Cold-War Clancy at the height of his powers, and clearly shows Thor and Larsen are in top form as well. You won’t be able to put it down!

5/5 phins
Amazon: hardcover, Kindle
Bookshop: hardcover, ebook