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China Lake

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A brilliant, relentlessly suspenseful thriller from the author of The Red Fox. David Harper and Jack Tannis share a 25-year-old secret. Contacted now by a man revealing his connection to their past, and his intention to see them dead, each of them sets out to discover the man's identity--following a trail of startling clues to a fierce confrontation.

Paperback

First published April 28, 1992

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5 stars
16 (11%)
4 stars
36 (26%)
3 stars
46 (34%)
2 stars
21 (15%)
1 star
15 (11%)
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
Profile Image for Arnis.
2,152 reviews177 followers
January 12, 2024
Viens zvans vēlā vakara stundā izmaina Jack Tannis atlikušo dzīvi uz neatgriešanos. Viens zvans no pagātnes izvelk jau šķietami nevienam vairs nesvarīgu atgadījumu, kad jauna veida raķešu tehnoloģija pēkšņi nonāca Padomju Savienības rokās. Džeks būtu pasūtījis pēc balss nepazīstamo personu pāris mājas tālāk, ja ne anonīmā zvanītāja pieminētais David Harper vārds, kuru iniciāli toreiz gribēja apsūdzēt kā spiegu.

https://poseidons99.wordpress.com/202...
Profile Image for Mary.
103 reviews10 followers
January 8, 2011
couldn't bear not to finish; yet could hardly wait to finish! this story went off into some very obscure tangents and was drawn out at times. is it possible that I still find the author a very capable writer??!!
Profile Image for David Highton.
3,749 reviews32 followers
May 10, 2020
A fast-paced thriller set in the early 1980s but picking up threads from the War and from the 1950s arms race in what becomes a conspiracy story with a twist at the end. Keeps the attention all the way through - read in two sittings.
129 reviews3 followers
May 19, 2020
I loved this book. Although the story gets a tad confusing. The 2 main characters are really what draws you in. Other reviews don't like the complicated denouement and I agree it was confusing. But so is life lol.
Profile Image for Esteban Stipnieks.
181 reviews
April 6, 2022
Decent start but collapses..... BAD PREMISE...... since the Sidewinder an early firiing in combat well the missile did not explode and was brought back in tact and copied! Perhaps having an operation Paperclip neighbor .... the whole premise is bad.... while the depictions of landscapre and caves are interesting this one that well was a thankfully I bought at thrift store.
Author 1 book2 followers
January 6, 2024
This is the most roundabout mystery I have ever read. It was like going to the moon via Jupiter and Saturn.
76 reviews
November 5, 2024
Slow to develop. A certain amount of Hyde’s tangential writing makes for interesting reading, but I think it was over used here - made it feel drawn out.
Profile Image for Kelly.
1,029 reviews
November 17, 2025
Didn't really like this one, but I did learn some history.
Profile Image for Gerald.
277 reviews11 followers
July 4, 2015
A complicated tale of the people involved in the development of the Sidewinder air-to-air missile with allegations of treason for giving the technology to the Russians against an English scientist working at the Naval base at China Lake, California. The allegations didn't stick when they first came up but still all but destroyed his career, his marriage, his life. When these same issues arise many years later, he is determined to clear his name and reputation.

I enjoyed this read somewhat, but it got a little convoluted and a bit hard to follow at times. I can only give it a lukewarm recommendation.

[Book 12 of 2015 Target 50 (Jan-3; Feb-2; Mar-1; April-3; May-0; Jun-2; Jul-1)]
Profile Image for Michael Alan Grapin.
472 reviews1 follower
March 15, 2015
Cracker Jack Tannis and David Harper share a history that goes back to the creation of sidewinder missiles in the California desert at a place called China Lake. There are threats that hint of charges of espionage that were never quite expunged from the record. Lives were destroyed by murder and greed that all harkens back to the concentration camps of Nazi Germany. I found China Lake to be a confusing narrative full of intrigue, a thriller with plot twists aplenty and even at the very end I wasn't quite sure who were the good guys and who the bad.
70 reviews
December 8, 2010
Good plot that moved along at a easy to follow pace. Appears a lot of research went into this story..
28 reviews
October 5, 2012
This book went off on way too many tangents, random ramblings for pages on end that added little to nothing to the story and many philosophical issues. Did not like this one at all.
Profile Image for Charlene Gordon.
740 reviews2 followers
Read
August 19, 2014
I hated this book. The only reason I finished it was I kept thinking there had to be a point to it. I probably read 10 other books during the time I was slogging through this one.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews

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