FBI agent, John Blaine, is launched into a web of international intrigue when his drug investigation turns up high-tech military smugglers. His enemy: legendary KGB Colonel Konev whose crack team of former Spetznaz operate as mercenaries to the highest bidder - a member of the Chinese Politburo seeking power. Konev's advantage is a miniature lie detector - Codename: Thunder - stolen from the American President and used against him during a world crisis. A rogue submarine is sinking ships in the South China Sea, drawing in China, Japan and America toward a nuclear confrontation. From America's nuclear Silent Service to her Carrier Battle Groups, the halls of the Forbidden City to the cities across America, Blaine runs against the clock to stop a plot for nuclear war and world domination. Michael Mandaville is a writer and filmmaker. His extensive interest in National Security, Geopolitics and History comes together in "Stealing Thunder" - based upon strategic assessments of an inevitable conflict with Communist China. He received his MFA in Professional Writing from the University of Southern California.