Power Play

AUTHOR’S NOTE

I hope you enjoyed Power Play!

I apologize for not wrapping things up nicely like I do in my novels, but Power Play ends where my fifth book, Treason, begins. For various reasons, several scenes I really liked didn’t make it into Treason, ending up on the cutting-room floor. Due to Treason’s delay from my normal summer release until the following winter, my publisher asked me to write a short story to help tide readers over. I thought the deleted scenes, fleshed out a bit, would make a good short story, even if it ends on a cliffhanger.

If you haven’t yet read one of my books, hopefully you liked Power Play and are interested in reading the novels in the Trident Deception series. The books are designed as stand-alones, but they use the same character set and there is some character progression, so it’s better to start at the beginning and read in order:

The Trident Deception

Empire Rising

Ice Station Nautilus

Blackmail

Power Play (short story)

Treason

Deep Strike

As you see above, chronologically, Power Play falls in between Blackmail and Treason, directly connecting the two novels.

Also, the usual disclaimer is provided: some of the submarine scenes are not one hundred percent accurate. I can’t describe submarine operations exactly, as some of those tactics are classified, and the dialogue isn’t one hundred percent accurate. If it were, much of it would be unintelligible to the average reader. To help the story move along without getting bogged down in acronyms, technical details, and other Navy jargon, I simplified the dialogue and description of shipboard operations and weapon systems.

For all of the above, I apologize. I did my best to keep everything as close to real life as possible while developing an entertaining story. Hopefully it all worked out, and you enjoyed Power Play.

ONE FINAL NOTE: Torpedo fuzing technology is an extremely sensitive subject, classified at the Top Secret and even the SCI level. The fuzing techniques discussed in Power Play are somewhat vague and may or may not be completely accurate. If you are knowledgeable about U.S. torpedo fuzing and identify an issue in Power Play, please DO NOT comment in a public forum.