Chuck Tanaka and other servicemen have gone missing in Turkey. But Chuck, a member of a dark ops team, has many secrets he can't share -- no matter how much truth serum he receives. He also has a high-tech tracking gadget, so pilot Jimmy Gage and his team members know Chuck is still alive and can narrow down his location. Jimmy knows all too well what Chuck faces as a captive, having spent three months as a POW in Afghanistan three years before.

All clandestine missions must have cover stories. Jimmy's team on the cutting-edge CV-22 (plane) is escorting a boat of USO members to an aircraft carrier before they start their tour to entertain the troops. But then a bomb goes off, causing the boat to burst into flames and throwing the passengers, including Chloe Nelson, into shark-infested waters. Somehow, Chloe is separated from the rest, requiring Jimmy to go into the Mediterranean to fetch her.

Chloe and Jimmy's relationship doesn't get off to a great start. Her skimpy costume gives the impression she's a bimbo rather than a somewhat conservative conductor and pianist from Atlanta. Jimmy, more focused on getting to Chuck, comes off as abrupt and rude. But with Chloe a member of the tour and Jimmy one of its escorts, they will continue to interact whether learning self-defense or diving to the ground to avoid another bomb.

Catherine Mann has written a terrific, tightly plotted romantic suspense novel in DEFENDER, the first volume of her Dark Ops series. From the prologue on, the action never stops and the tension, romantic and otherwise, builds. Her knowledge of airplanes, military technology and covert operations lend authenticity to the book. The suspense lies not in discovering the identity of the bad guys but wondering whether or not the mission will succeed, but that in itself might keep you up all night. She switches viewpoints often and between a variety of characters to keep the plot moving forward and never let the readers find a comfortable spot in which to put the book down. I look forward to reading HOTSHOT, the next installment of Mann's Dark Ops series.