Exit Plan (2012) [/]
May 26 2025
Exit Plan is the third book in Larry Bond's Jerry Mitchell series. Larry Bond designed the Harpoon naval warfare game and co-wrote Red Storm Rising with Tom Clancy and has subsequently gone on to write a bunch of military fiction books.
I haven't read the other books in the series. Jerry Mitchell is a former naval fighter pilot who had to change career tracks due to an injury. In the first book Mitchell is already to a submarine as weapons officer. In Exit Plan has XO on the USS Michigan, a fast attack submarine converted for special operations — less Tomahawk missiles to make room for a Navy SEAL platoon and their equipment.
The main threat is that the Iranians announced they're going to test their first atomic bomb (which means they have two or three others already made) but it's a ruse to make the Israeli's attack and destroy the Iranian atomic facility as a casus belli. Two Iranian informants must be retrieved — a scientist at the atomic facility with a lot of files and knowledge that the Iranians are years from developing Uranium enrichment.
After the primary pilot is injured Mitchell is assigned to pilot the mini-sub that will take a SEAL team of four plus Mitchell and a SEAL co-pilot into the Iranian coast to retrieve the informants. Unfortunately a fire sinks the sub stranding Mitchell and the four-team SEAL team in Iran trying to keep their informants alive while waiting for rescue…
I found this to be a readable book with an entertaining plot. I'm more interested in naval action of which there is little in this novel. The scenario seems quite realistic with the timings and details of US vs Iranian responses making sense. Characterization is not great but that's not really a military fiction thing since the space is needed for the exciting stuff.
Skimming the other series novel descriptions this one is the worst to have jumped into. The other novels seem to be primary submarine warfare or situations and Exit Plan is more SEAL team boots on the ground action. Debatable whether or not I give this series a second shot.
I haven't read the other books in the series. Jerry Mitchell is a former naval fighter pilot who had to change career tracks due to an injury. In the first book Mitchell is already to a submarine as weapons officer. In Exit Plan has XO on the USS Michigan, a fast attack submarine converted for special operations — less Tomahawk missiles to make room for a Navy SEAL platoon and their equipment.
The main threat is that the Iranians announced they're going to test their first atomic bomb (which means they have two or three others already made) but it's a ruse to make the Israeli's attack and destroy the Iranian atomic facility as a casus belli. Two Iranian informants must be retrieved — a scientist at the atomic facility with a lot of files and knowledge that the Iranians are years from developing Uranium enrichment.
After the primary pilot is injured Mitchell is assigned to pilot the mini-sub that will take a SEAL team of four plus Mitchell and a SEAL co-pilot into the Iranian coast to retrieve the informants. Unfortunately a fire sinks the sub stranding Mitchell and the four-team SEAL team in Iran trying to keep their informants alive while waiting for rescue…
I found this to be a readable book with an entertaining plot. I'm more interested in naval action of which there is little in this novel. The scenario seems quite realistic with the timings and details of US vs Iranian responses making sense. Characterization is not great but that's not really a military fiction thing since the space is needed for the exciting stuff.
Skimming the other series novel descriptions this one is the worst to have jumped into. The other novels seem to be primary submarine warfare or situations and Exit Plan is more SEAL team boots on the ground action. Debatable whether or not I give this series a second shot.