Prepared for Rage: A Novel [Mass Market Paperback]

Dana Stabenow (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 3, 2009

A nail-biting, straight-from-the-headlines thriller of international suspense from Edgar Award winner and New York Times bestselling author

A terrorist filled with resentment…an FBI analyst challenged to be three steps ahead of the intelligence…a Coast Guard captain assigned to keep watch on that very American of symbols from the water…an astronaut who takes her job very seriously…

The paths of all of these characters converge on one clear morning in Florida. NASA is preparing to launch the space shuttle—this time with a high-paying visitor on board as a guest, and the FBI and the Coast Guard are doing everything they can to help the launch go off without a hitch. But one Pakistani man with a bottomless personal grudge and the commitment of many zealous men behind him is determined to strike back at the most visible target he can find…

 

 

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. The action of Edgar-winner Stabenow's stellar second venture into thriller territory, in contrast to 2006's Blindfold Game, which was set largely in the frozen waters off Alaska, centers on the warm seas of the Florida coast near the Kennedy Space Center, where the latest space shuttle launch is to take place. Stabenow harnesses the strands of her story with consummate skill: the passion that propels a rogue terrorist on a crusade to strike a blow that will shatter American pride; the efforts of U.S. intelligence to thwart a bewildering array of foes; the rising careers of Capt. Cal T. Schuyler, the golden boy of the U.S. Coast Guard, and astronaut Kenai Munro, whose life ambition is realized when she's named to the shuttle crew. Stabenow proves equally adept at portraying the workings of a cutter, the complexities of a shuttle mission or the machinations of a terrorist. The result is entertainment and suspense of a high order. (Feb.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

“Why it’s hot: It offers an in-depth profile of a terror cell and a battle to the death aboard a Coast Guard cutter.”—USA Today

“A frightening, tightly written thriller.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Apollo 13 meets United 93…Stabenow knows Coast Guard and astronaut lingo.”—Entertainment Weekly

“Stellar…entertainment and suspense of a high order.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books; First Edition edition (February 3, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312944039
• ISBN-13: 978-0312944032
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #438,301 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dana Stabenow was born in Anchorage and raised on 75-foot fish tender in the Gulf of Alaska. She knew there was a warmer, drier job out there somewhere and found it in writing.

Her first science fiction novel, Second Star, sank without a trace (but has since been resurrected as an e-book), her first crime fiction novel, A Cold Day for Murder, won an Edgar award, her first thriller, Blindfold Game, hit the New York Times bestseller list, and her twenty-eighth novel and nineteenth Kate Shugak novel, Restless in the Grave, was published February 14, 2012.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Space shot overdone, April 17, 2008

By 

Charles J. Barnes MD "CJB" (El Cerrito, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Prepared for Rage: A Novel (Hardcover)

First, I have to say, I have read everything published by Ms. Stabenow. I feel like Kate is a troubled sibling of mine about who I cannot wait to learn of more adventures. This attempt at over glorification of the Coast Guard (great guys and gals), the Florida and some fairly inane props to get both into trouble and out of it, is Ms. Stabenow at her laziest. I bought the hardback, digested it in a couple of sittings, and was never challenged, intellectually or emotionally by the odyssey. I know there are better stories waiting inside this author. Don't waste your time with this one.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars AN AWARD CALIBER VOICE PERFORMANCE, February 28, 2008

By 

Gail Cooke (TX, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Prepared for Rage: A Novel (Audio CD)

Well remembered for her readings of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series, voice performer Lorelei King gives a stellar rendering of this action packed suspense thriller by Dana Stabenow. As narrative tension increases King keeps her voice at a steady pace, which tends to make what appears to be an impending disaster all the more terrifying. She deftly segues from character to character never giving in to distracting vocal techniques.

Edgar winning author Stabenow has moved from her Alaskan settings to a kinder climate- the sunny waters of the Caribbean just off the Florida coast. Nearby is the Kennedy Space Center and it is here where the next space shuttle mission is to take place. What makes this launch unique is that it is the target of an amoral Pakistani terrorist, Akil Vihari, who hopes to hit America where it hurts the most.

Amidst the efforts to track down Vilhari there is, of course, a love interest. We hear astronaut Kenai Munro describe her impression of Captain Schuyler: "His eyes were very blue. Sailor's eyes. She thought he might be blond, but like every other male crew member she'd seen he'd shaved his head almost down to the scalp in preparation for sea showers on patrol and it was hard to tell. Come to think of it, he didn't look anything at all like Robert Redford. Robert Redford was a troll by comparison."

It's pretty clear where that's going and we can easily surmise what the outcome of the hunt for terrorists will be. However, it's quite a trip getting there as excitement abounds and surprises wait at every turn. Enjoy!

- Gail Cooke

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's not an Alaskan mystery-it's international intrigue!, February 6, 2008

By 

K. Laubenstein (Anchorage, AK USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Prepared for Rage: A Novel (Hardcover)

This book is written and researched so well, with scenarios out of actual headlines, that for some the book is just *too real* and the fine line between fiction and nonfiction becomes blurred when the tension builds and builds and you can't put it down. It makes your heart pound and your hands grow clammy, but you keep on reading. The characters come alive and before you're through the book, you'd swear you'd known these people before in your REAL life and not through a novel. Dana posted her blog from her two months on the US Coast Guard Cutter last spring, where she was learning, living, and researching for PREPARED. If anything, it's too real, and, as several other reviewers mentioned, the first chapter is brutal... and you just can't reading. I pre-ordered this early from Amazon and, for those who actually read the book, it gets a five stars!!!