Set during the height of the Cold War, Black Sea Monster is a classic espionage thriller. A Soviet plot to steal Harrier jets is intercepted by East German merchant seaman Karl Bauer. Foiling the Soviet plan may buy Bauer a ticket to the West, but his plans are complicated when he rescues and falls in love with the beautiful and headstrong daughter of a powerful captain in the Russian Navy's Black Sea Fleet. Author Bruce M. Smith, a former commercial airline pilot and recreational sailor, has used his broad experience to create a novel that is as technically sound as it is lively, well-plotted and gripping. There's little more satisfying than a good story, well told, and with Black Sea Monster, Bruce Smith has hit the bulls-eye squarely. Advance Praise: Robert Gandt, bestselling author of "With Hostile Intent," says: "Black Sea Monster is a big, rambling Cold War action tale. There's something here for everyone - military adventure, a problematic romance, and a believable hero caught in a collision of global forces."
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Editorial Reviews
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Highly recommended! Black Sea Monster is a big, rambling Cold War action tale. There's something here for everyone. -- Robert Gandt
About the Author
Bruce M. Smith is a retired commercial airline pilot who resides in Kiev, Ukraine with his wife, Galyna.
Born in western Montana, Smith's family migrated to Alaska, where he learned to fly. Smith majored in History and International Relations at Stanford University, but abandoned a planned career in law to become a professional pilot. He joined Pan American World Airways in 1966, and flew for Delta Airlines after Pan Am's collapse. After 32 years as a commercial airline pilot, Smith signed on to pilot executive jets for the Congolese government.
Smith lived in West Berlin for 11 years, and was present when the Berlin Wall fell, ending the Communist reign in East Germany.
An avid sailor and diver, his pursuits include ancient European history, underwater archeology, and sailing.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great cold war novel,
This review is from: Black Sea Monster (Paperback)
I really enjoyed Black Sea Monster. It was written from the point of view of Karl Bauer, an East German merchant marine during the cold war years, who wants to defect. The tension is palpable as Bauer describes daily life under the oppressive rule of a Communist country. As a marine officer he enjoys far more freedom than most citizens, and this freedom has caused him to think longingly of a possible fresh start in the West. He cautiously approaches someone in a U.S. Information Agency office in Rotterdam, during a port call. He explains that he wants to defect and offers to provide information in exchange for a new life in the U.S. His resolve and determination increase when he rescues a girl capsized at sea, who was attempting to defect herself. Their joint plans and the adventure that follows gave me an enjoyable read. Smith has written a novel that is more than an interesting story, because it also conveys the fear Communist rule and why people would risk their lives to escape to the West.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A storyteller in the tradition of Robert Gandt, Larry Bond, and Dale Brown,
This review is from: Black Sea Monster (Paperback)
One of the most interesting things about this Cold War tale is that its hero is an East German merchant marine officer. I've seen few novels written with merchant mariners as heroes - much less Warsaw Pact seamen.
Bruce Smith has written such a tale and pulls it off with authenticity. His characters and period locales are believable, and it's a good solid story to boot. In short, it's a fun read, full of twists and turns, well-researched and covers the subject from an unusual but feasible perpective. A book well worth adding to the collection of anyone who enjoys Cold War action thrillers.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Throw Back to the Cold War,
By
This review is from: Black Sea Monster (Paperback)
I had thought that with the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War that the days of fighting between the CIA and the KGB were over.
I was wrong. Here is a new military thriller with a classic view. And it's the first novel from a new writer that appears to be an American (or British) man who lives in Kiev. The principal character is an East German merchant seaman who learns of a plot to steal a couple of Harrier jets. (I suspect the Soviets wanted them to assist in the YAK 36/38/41 VTOL fighter program.) He wants to use this knowledge to defect to the US. Of course from there the story gets very complicated with all the twists and turns that you would expect of a well done spy story. Of course there's the girl ... well you know. The story is well plotted, the characters interesting, it's kind of a nostalgia piece to get away from the 'foil the terrorist' books that have replaced the Cold War.
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