Set during the height of the Cold War, Black Sea Monster is a classic espionage thriller. A Soviet plot to steal Harrier jets is intercepted by East German merchant seaman Karl Bauer. Foiling the Soviet plan may buy Bauer a ticket to the West, but his plans are complicated when he rescues and falls in love with the beautiful and headstrong daughter of a powerful captain in the Russian Navy's Black Sea Fleet. Author Bruce M. Smith, a former commercial airline pilot and recreational sailor, has used his broad experience to create a novel that is as technically sound as it is lively, well-plotted and gripping. There's little more satisfying than a good story, well told, and with Black Sea Monster, Bruce Smith has hit the bulls-eye squarely. Advance Praise: Robert Gandt, bestselling author of "With Hostile Intent," says: "Black Sea Monster is a big, rambling Cold War action tale. There's something here for everyone - military adventure, a problematic romance, and a believable hero caught in a collision of global forces."