Critiques en avant-premièreEdward M. Hochsmann

An aging Coast Guard patrol boat is all that stands between the world and nuclear annihilation!

It is a time of international crisis in Europe, with Russia threatening Poland and Lithuania, NATO mobilizing, and leaders on both sides talking openly of war. Far from the crisis point, a Russian bomber flying near U.S. airspace southeast of Miami collides with a U.S. fighter, triggering the accidental launch of a nuclear-tipped hypersonic missile toward Florida. The missile is lost from radar-all anyone knows is that the warhead did not explode, and the missile did not crash on land. Both governments tightly suppress news of the collision and missile launch to prevent a descent into nuclear war.

The Coast Guard patrol boat Kauai encounters a wrecked derelict sailboat full of illegal drugs north of the Florida Keys a few days later. Their report draws a quick visit from a mysterious government agent and new orders to assist him on a secret mission involving a search of the Keys. Only after a deadly encounter with the International Crime Syndicate operating the sailboat do the coastguardsmen learn the truth: the sailboat's damage resulted from a near miss from the Russian missile, and a live nuclear warhead is lost somewhere in the Keys. The mission becomes a race with a vicious criminal gang to find and secure the weapon before its discovery triggers a nuclear holocaust. Dagger Quest explores the close friendships, courage, and humor of a small unit crew pushed from their normal operations into a world of spies, transnational criminal organizations, and international crises. It is centered on the boat's second-in-command, young Coast Guard Lieutenant Junior Grade Ben Wyporek and his efforts to complete the mission and keep the peace between his commanding officer, Lieutenant Sam Powell, and the reckless DIA agent Dr. Peter Simmons. Ben faces dangers he had never trained for on a mission that could decide the world's fate.