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Silent Thunder
"Brilliant marine architect Hannah Bryson has been given a priceless opportunity. A U.S. maritime museum has just acquired the former pride of the Soviet fleet,the decommissioned submarine Silent Thunder, for public exhibition. Hannah must inspect every single inch of this legendary nuclear attack sub and design modifications that will make it safe for the thousands o...more
Hardcover, Large Print, 415 pages
Published
August 28th 2008
by Center Point Large Print
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Okay, basic synopsis: Marine architect (one who designs underwater vehicles and the like) Hannah Bryson has been contracted to inspect and overhaul a decommissioned Russian nuclear sub, the Silent Thunder, for the U.S. Maritime Museum. Working with her brother, Connor, she begins the routine check of the sub's systems. During this process, an enigmatic set of metallic plates, inscribed with seemingly nonsensical symbols, is found. Tragedy strikes, however, and a mystery unfolds. Hannah, tho...more
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As a fan of Iris Johansen, I was unsure whether I would enjoy her coaurthoring with her son or be disappointed in their joint effort. I really liked Silent Thunder. It tells the story of a female submarine designer, Hannah, who is hired to explore and verify the safety of a Russian submarine for the museum that plans to display it. During her inspection, Hannah uncovers some mysterious writing and she is forced to team up with a Russian, Nicolas Kirov, to decipher the meaning of her discovery...more
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I don't read much of Iris Johansen, and that may have been my problem with my approach to it. From my perspective, Johansen's mistake was trying to condense and dilute an potentially interesting global political intrigue. I used to read a lot of those kinds of books, and in my opinion they are best tackled in a thick meaty book of 500+ pages. To do it in less, Johansen was forced to do a lot of exposition via dialogue, and I found it so unrealistic it continually pulled me out of the story.
...more
Mother and son collaborators, Iris and Roy Johansen, deliver a suspenseful, thrilling read in Silent Thunder. Silent Thunder is a book that has it all: suspense, thrills, intrigue, action, drama, and even some romantic tension thrown in. Hannah and her brother Conner are commissioned to check a retired Russian sub to make sure it is safe for the public to board for museum purposes. On this job, they discover a secret that makes them targets for everyone interested in the secrets hidden by the...more
"An explosive secret. And no one left who knows the truth..." Silent Thunder is the name of a Russian atomic attack submarine and marine architect, Hannah, and her brother, Conner, have the job of inspecting every inch of the sub to make certain it is safe for tourists. However, she finds a cryptic note behind a panel and, lo and behold, trouble starts. Now I'm going to read it and find out what the note says. I may have to translate it from Russian to English unless the author(s) were...more
Marine architect Hannah Bryson is hired by a US marine museum to check out and make safe for public viewing a submarine recently purchased from the Russians. Hannah works with her brother, Connor, and together they start taking the interior of the submarine apart piece by piece, checking it over for problems, and then putting it back together. When Connor discovers a mysterious message behind some plates between the hulls, things become very dangerous. This is an exciting novel with lots of a...more
Silent Thunder is categorized as adult fiction but it reads as young adult fiction. Hannah, the main character is both protagonist and antagonist, the author never decided which role the Hannah character fit so she made her both.
Hannah uses her friends to get what she wants and never mind that it could cost them their jobs because they wouldn’t have those jobs if it hadn’t been for her.
I didn’t finish reading Silent Thunder because I stopped caring about the story and the...more
Hannah uses her friends to get what she wants and never mind that it could cost them their jobs because they wouldn’t have those jobs if it hadn’t been for her.
I didn’t finish reading Silent Thunder because I stopped caring about the story and the...more
Another outing for this mother-son duo - this time about a submarine. The brother and sister are hired to do an overhaul on the sub, making sure that everything is perfect for an opening to the public, when something mysterious is found, hidden behind a panel. What follows is a suspenseful chase from some people who fill do anything to keep the secret out of her hands, a mysterious guy who seems to want to help, and some backstabbing espionage. Fun, lots of info on subs. With these kinds of ...more
Hannah Bryson and her brother Conner is a marine architect that restores old submarines. They are chosen to restore an old russian submarine called the Silent Thunder. Little did they know they are pawns in the governments plan to attempt to capture a dangerous Russian Thug who wants something that has been hidden on the Silent Thunder. After a serious mistake by the CIA Hannah finds herself running for her life while trying to decode the facts and keep the secrets and treasure from those who...more
Iris Johansen books tend to follow a pretty set standard of pairing a strong alpha female lead character with a strong alpha male character. They usually antagonize each other by wanting to do things their own way in pursuit of a common goal and refuse to appear weak in the other person's eyes. This book, however, surprised me by keeping the lead female character fairly down-to-earth and not making her quite such a misandrist. It felt like a softer version of her other books, and I liked it. I...more
Marine architect Hannah Bryson believes she has been given the opportunity of a lifetime when she is asked to inspect the former Soviet nuclear attack submarine, the Silent Thunder, in order to declare it safe for public exhibition in a museum. The assignment soon turns tragic as a deadly assault takes place on board right after a mysterious message was uncovered behind the sub’s panel. Knowing the attack was no accident, Hannah will go to great lengths to find the truth behind the message and...more
Iris Johansen used to be a favorite, "must read" author of mine. The past several books I have not read because I tired of the Eve Duncan and her family saga. Series are fine for some authors and it is fun to revisit charactes, but after so many books, I want the author to start fresh! I also get discouraged when reading an author new to me if they have many books of a series - I get overwhelmed because I don't want to start at the very beginning but I feel I am missing too much if ...more
I've long been an Iris Johansen fan so I was more than curious to see that her new book is co-written with her Edgar Award winning son Roy. I found that mother and son make a dynamite writing duo.
The premise is Hannah, a brilliant, driven but haunted marine architect, has undertaken an assignment for a museum clearing a Russian nuclear submarine for any hazards before it becomes an exhibit. It should be a straightforward job that lasts no more than the two weeks that she promises h...more
The premise is Hannah, a brilliant, driven but haunted marine architect, has undertaken an assignment for a museum clearing a Russian nuclear submarine for any hazards before it becomes an exhibit. It should be a straightforward job that lasts no more than the two weeks that she promises h...more
This was an exciting story. Hannah and her brother Connor are unwitting pawns in a deadly international race to locate the Golden Cradle. When they discover some secret panels in a decommissioned Russian sub, Connor is murdered and Hannah is thrown into a surreal race across the country in the company of a Russian spy whose real identity is in question. There's shooting, explosions, attempted kidnapping and near drowning before the story finally concludes. A real page-turner.
I really like Iris Johansen's books, despite the fact that I find them very formulaic. Take one US government guy (or cop), add one rogue ex-military guy (not necessarily American), and stir in one angry woman on a mission. Bring to a boil, and make sure there is plenty of chemistry between the angry woman and the rogue ex-military guy. Anyway, I still found this book to be interesting, and I will keep reading her books, especially the Eve Duncan books.
Silent Thunder by Iris Johansen is a fast paced and great read. There are plots within plots in this novel but it's not so confusing that it's difficult to read...the twists and turns keep you interested and absorbed in the story.
Hannah and brother, Connor, work together on different marine projects. They are hired to examine a decommissioned Russin sub, a quick, easy job to fill time before their next big job. Things are going well until horror and tragedy strikes, resulting in Connor's d...more
Hannah and brother, Connor, work together on different marine projects. They are hired to examine a decommissioned Russin sub, a quick, easy job to fill time before their next big job. Things are going well until horror and tragedy strikes, resulting in Connor's d...more
I've always liked Iris Johansen as an author, however I got tired of her EVE series and gave up on it. But this book co-authored by her son, I believe was quite excellent. The dialogue was engaging and direct and it was fast paced and held my attention until the very end. If I had one complaint, it would be that the romance part didn't really develop, but then it wasn't really needed either. So. If you like FAST PACED books this it the one for you! :)
A pretty good story, but told with lots of inane dialogue, consistent profanity, crude conversation. Hard to believe a professional marine architect, tops in her field, would resort to so much patronizing sarcasm, or that her devoted brother would nag her about having IVF (she is single). I just can't really recommend this one and am surprised to see that it received good reviews from others. No accounting for taste, is there??
I thought it was a GREAT novel! I was intrigued by the title and this page-turner didn't disappoint. I enjoyed the play among the differnt characters... trying to figure out who the bad guys were...and surprised to find them doing good. I needed to put the book aside because of holiday company but it was written in such an easy-going way that I was able to pick up the characters & plot again a week later with no problem.
This is the first book by Iris & Roy Johansen as a team, and it shows. Both authors are accomplished in their own right, but here it seemed they couldn't quite decide what style the book should follow. It bounces back and forth between decent thriller and romance novel.
Overall I thought the action parts were well-done and admit to racing through the last third of the book almost in one sitting. But the characters remained two-dimensional and I found it hard to care about their blossomi...more
Overall I thought the action parts were well-done and admit to racing through the last third of the book almost in one sitting. But the characters remained two-dimensional and I found it hard to care about their blossomi...more
This Iris Johansen book focuses on a woman who is a natural at designing submarines. Her reputation gains her and her brother a contract working on one of the rare Russian submarines in the US which will become a part of a museum. However, there is treachery behind it. (Of course - it's Russian!) Her brother is killed. The CIA and Russian spies become involved. Terrorism reigns.
Enjoyable, I recommend it.
Enjoyable, I recommend it.
Another one of those books that I listened to on audio. A bit of history, mystery, romantic undertones, suspense... It has a powerful family undercurrent. It made me laugh and cry; and, more importantly, keep me captivated to hear the next chapter. I was very surprised when I found out this book was written by mother and son; no wonder the family theme was strong. Could easily be a great movie.
I liked this book alot. I seem to like books with a woman as the main charactor, I think it is because it throws a wrench into the whole experience. I think that this book would be perfect for someone who likes to sail or knows a little bit about navy boats. Not that you need to know either to read but the theme is there for enthusiasts to enjoy.
OK, so 2 stars probably isn't fair but I see that there are several 1 star reviews here so maybe I'm not alone. I started listening to this on audio and was up to part 4 when I ran smack into the whole Russian names thing/spy stuff. Completely lost interest and didn't finish. Life is too short to read/listen to something that doesn't grab me.
Silent Thunder is one of the worst written books I've read in a long time, and greatly disappointing. The dialogue is trite and flat ("Son of a bitch. Bradworth was staring after him. "Bastard."), the characters are unidimensional (the Russians are the bad guys), the story murky and at best cliche.
After 135 pages, I gave it up.
After 135 pages, I gave it up.
Marine architect Hannah and her co-partner and brother are running the usual inspection on a Russian sub that's going to be part of a museum. However, her brother is killed and she is moved from the project. She teams with an unlikely ally to find out why her brother was killed.
Great thriller
Great thriller
This book was certainly a change from the other Iris Johansen novels that I have read. It's not the normal, romance suspense that she writes, it tries to be more of an action book. However, it needs more action if that is the direction she wanted to go.
Not bad, not great. Some of the plot twists and turns were quite good but important details about one of the main characters were confusing and not foreshadowed well enough. It pushed the envelope of believability a little too hard.
I got this book as a gift and I really enjoyed it. Have never read anything by this author so it was fun to try something new. Its a murder mystery thriller with lots of intrigue and a touch of KGB!
I would reccomend it!
I would reccomend it!
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Johansen began writing after her children left home for college. She first achieved success in the early 1980s writing category romances. In 1991, Johansen began writing suspense historical romance novels, starting with the publication of The Wind Dancer. In 1996 Johansen switched genres, turning to crime fiction, with which she has had great success. She had seventeen consecutive New York Times b...more
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