The Kill Box: A Technothriller [Hardcover]

Chris Stewart (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 18, 1998

Air Force One, on a flight from the Middle East, carrying the Vice President, crashes into a North Carolina hillside. Everyone aboard has been dead for hours before the crash, struck down by a virus of totally unknown origin. The threat is immediate, blunt, and terrifying. Here is a weapon that relies on no high-tech delivery system-a weapon that is potentially more dangerous than a thousand neutron bombs...

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Former President George Bush plays a small but pivotal role in this latest military/techno-thriller from Chris Stewart, a major in the U.S. Air Force whose flying expertise gave his debut thriller, Shattered Bone, a fresh blast of credibility and verisimilitude. Onboard Air Force One for an important ambassadorial mission, Bush is killed in the book's first few pages by a biological agent released into the air by Iraqi terrorists working for Saddam Hussein's even more dangerous son, Odai.

Fearing that Junior is ready to gas the rest of the Washington establishment plus a large number of America's ordinary citizens, the government sends in a crack commando team to make sure the son doesn't rise to the occasion. There's also a boatload of top-secret electronic gadgetry (explained so well that even us techno-dummies can understand how they work), a touching young female spy who goes a long way toward humanizing the Iraqi villains, and enough in-flight action to satisfy the keenest video-game addicts. --Dick Adler

From Booklist

Stewart still flies B-l's for a living and still writes brisk, absorbing aviation thrillers. In his second (after Shattered Bone ), the U.S. confronts an Iraqi biological warfare threat with a combination of sophisticated electronics, a young female spy, Delta force commandos, and an F-15 Strike Eagle with a crack crew. The novel somewhat depends on readers believing that the Iraqis are capable of anything, yet the spy character's view of the Iraqi people as more victims than villains raises the book above the level of demonization. In fact, the real villain here isn't Saddam Hussein but his vengeful, patricidal son, Odai. As is standard for thrillers, characterization is subordinated to the action and the hardware, but the flying action, in particular, makes this more than tolerable. Stewart may not win high literary awards to set beside his aviation trophies, but he is a good enough writer to turn his cockpit time into agreeable technothrillers. Roland Green

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: M.Evans & Company (September 18, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0871318660
• ISBN-13: 978-0871318664
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,484,482 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Chris Stewart is a bestselling author, world-record setting pilot and president of The Shipley Group, a nationally recognized consulting and training company. He is a member of the Renaissance Organization, a private group of leaders from across the globe who meet to explore the "Renaissance spirit."

Chris served for fourteen years as a pilot in the United States Air Force, where he piloted both the B-1Bbonber and rescue helicopters. On June 3, 1995, he led a flight of two B-1S on a nonstop flight around the world, setting three world-speed records in the process, and received the MacKay trophy for the "most significant aerial achievement of the year."

Chris is the author of three highly popular military techno-thrillers. His books have been selected by The Book of the Month Club and published in twelve different countries. He has also been a guest editor for the Detroit News, commenting on matters of military readiness and national security concerns.

Chris and his wife, Evie, are the parents of six children and live in Utah.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Better Than Shattered Bone, January 10, 2000

By 

"rebelunion" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Kill Box (Paperback)

Maj. Chris Stewart's second novel is well written and original. Stewart's writing has gotten better since his first novel Shattered Bone, and he uses more adjectives to convey better imagery to the reader. The plot is great, the tension gripping, and altogether Stewart is certainly proving himself as a writer of military techno-thrillers. I only had one problem with The Kill Box. This is the second time he has named one of his characters "Wallet". In Shattered Bone the Secretary of Defense is named "Wallet". Now it's the Air Force Chief of Staff. What gives? Other than that little annoyance, The Kill Box was great. I only hope his next book, The Third Consequence, doesn't do this.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Thriller you will have read, January 8, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Kill Box (Paperback)

This is the real article. Stewart is an authentic practioneer who really knows of what he writes. The intrigue of his book is that he was one of the countries top pilots of the B-52 bomber. Hence, when he describes mission briefings, flight and weapon details, he is intimately familiar with what really happens. He offers a unique insight into the mind of the fighter pilot and his environment. Stewart also tells a riveting story based on "what if" scenarios that made it difficult to put down his book. Particulary given the importance of the Air Force in Afganistan, Serbia, Iraq, Stewart's books are a must read for anyone trying to gain a better understanding of what pilots are feeling and experiencing in this current tumultuous environment. I dropped the Clancy books for an author (Stewart) who isn't guessing about his subject material.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This technothriller rocks, July 19, 2000

By 

Mr N Forbes-warren "author of RESURGENCE and ... (Newport, South Wales, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Kill Box (Paperback)

A timely and thrilling story which revolves around Iraq's plans, or more precisely Odai Hussein acting against the wishes of father Saddam, developing biological weapons of devastating effect. Who can stop him? Enter the CIA's black ops specialists at a secret base in the Tigris valley, an ace F-15E pilot and his weapons officer Killer, Aria, a half-British, half-Kurdish spy who must get to Hussein to learn of the weapons manufacturing plant that Saddam prohibits the UN from entering at the start of the story and a squadron of B-1 bombers who are the last line of defence. THis collection are up against Hussein and his terrorists who down Air Force One, then proceed to carry out a plan which could devastate the US! Who will save the day? The outcome isn't so obvious as you think, there's some interesting twists towards the end! I read this one in less than a day, and can safely say it has everything - easy reading narrative with all technical detail descriptions adopting the KISS approach(that's keep it simple stupid), well-researched locations and well-crafted characters and suspense. Enough flying sequences as well to keep fans of Dale Brown happy until his next one's out!