"A bold new direction for Brockmann's SEALs"

"Is it November yet?" has become the cry of loyal fans of the SEAL Team 16, the Troubleshooters who originated in the wickedly fertile imagination of RITA winner, Suzanne Brockmann. INTO THE NIGHT has all the signature Brockmann elements: a SEAL finding extraordinary love with a woman who challenges him like no mission ever has, interwoven with a secondary story from the distant past which affects the present, and lastly a tasty nibble for a future story. This is Lt. Mike Muldoon's story, complete with events taken from today's front page sure to leave the reader salivating for more after the last page is turned.

In OVER THE EDGE, Stan tried to set Lt. Mike Muldoon up with Terri Howe but this "Boy Scout" never stood a chance. Now he meets an "older woman" in the persona of White House staffer Joan DeCosta. Unlike Sam's brash machismo or Ken's quirky mind, Mike uses his unique gentle gallantry to convince Joan that age is relative and that what they could have together is worth the risk. Mike's rare sense of honor as he deals with Joan's brother and his unique problems is sure to endear him to readers. Mike and Joan's budding relationship is not as angst driven as those past SEALs, but offers a glimpse at Brockmann's singular ability to add sexual tension through the use of witty dialogue. Their story (along with the two other storylines) is interwoven into a much larger plot as the President of the US with his problematic "mature" daughter has decided to visit the SEAL base expecting a "dog and pony show" put on by the Team 16 SEALs. The resulting events could have come straight from the front page of today's news.

What makes this story even more unique for a Brockmann tale is that a large portion of the story revolves more around a secondary plot line (Sam and Mary Lou). When Mary Lou dropped her bomb on Sam in OVER THE EDGE she became the- woman-readers-love-to-hate. Much of the intensity of the conflict in INTO THE NIGHT is Mary Lou's story. Ms. Brockmann has outdone herself with Mary Lou's journey toward personal discovery. Readers of the ongoing Sam/Alyssa/Mary Lou saga may still not like Mary Lou very much, but they can't come away from this book without some empathy for her.

Unfortunately I couldn't feel the same toward Sam, especially because of his indifference toward Mary Lou and their daughter. For him to gain hero status again he will need to get his act together, if he deserves a future with Alyssa or Mary Lou or whomever. However, I have complete confidence in Ms. Brockmann's ability to make it happen, though it will be fun to watch Sam deal with his inner conflict especially with the ending of INTO THE NIGHT.

If there were any disappointments, other than Sam losing hero status, it would have to be Joan's excessive worrying over her and Mike's age differences. Not only did it get old fast but it seemed to slow down the pace of the story, defusing the sexual tension brought about by their witty verbal sparing, though this witty banter acts as a wonderful contrast to Sam and Mary Lou's growing angst. Also a few events involving the Navy's treatment of Mary Lou seemed too harsh and not very accurate as per my own experience. Yet in fairness they do reflect events from her past stories, adding continuity to the other Troubleshooter books. However, these inaccuracies don't figure strongly in the plot, allowing most readers to overlook them.

Though the secondary story takes over the book, with INTO THE NIGHT Brockmann offers readers an insight into the unparalleled journey of one character's growth, at the expense of the growing conflict for one of her most loved SEALs: Sam Starett. On the strength of this conflict I see another RITA nomination for this one. Come the summer of 2003. We can only wonder what this growth will mean for Sam's journey in GONE TOO FAR, which will finally consummate the Sam and Alyssa relationship. If the ending of INTO THE NIGHT is any indication we readers are all in for the ride of a lifetime.

Reviewed by Jody Allen
Posted November 1, 2002

The fifth installment in Suzanne's series about Navy SEAL Team Sixteen'™s counterterrorists. INTO THE NIGHT (released November 26th), features Lt. jg Mike Muldoon as he acts as SEAL liaison to White House staffer Joan DaCosta, who is helping set up a presidential visit at the navy base in Coronado.