Red Tide
A Novel
Will be published approx. on 6. November 2025
Book
Hardback
368 pages
978-1-68247-991-9 (ISBN)
Description
"An adrenaline-laced naval thriller ripped straight from tomorrow's headlines." -Jack Carr, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Red Sky Mourning
From the New York Times bestselling author behind the Tom Clancy Jack Ryan Jr. books and former U.S. Naval Intelligence officer comes a gripping and timely military thriller.
America's Navy is stretched to the breaking point. China's combat fleet grows. And both countries compete for access to advanced semiconductor chips produced only in Taiwan. When the Chinese strike first, casualties mount and high-tech arsenals are exhausted. It's a war of attrition-and the Chinese are winning.
Rear Adm. Will Cole outgoing operations officer (N3) of the Pacific Fleet is on the brink of retirement. After a thirty-year career, he's ready to settle down, rebuild his marriage, and pass the torch to the next generation of the "Fighting Coles": Their oldest, Henry, flies F-18s. Their middle son, Jamie, is a merchant marine officer. Their daughter, Lucy, has a high-tech job with a defense contractor.
But all plans are scrapped when war drums start beating. The Pacific Fleet commander sends Cole stateside to challenge a hardened political bureaucracy into getting serious about the threat to peace in the Pacific. Proven right when the missiles start flying, Cole is ordered to do the impossible: destroy the Chinese fleet and retake Taiwan-before it's too late. He'll risk everything in a final fleet amphibious action-his career, his Navy, and his family.
With the pacing of a master storyteller and a flair for riveting action sequences, M. P. Woodward captivates readers while raising important questions about the U.S. Navy's ability to remain the world's guarantor of a free sea in the twenty-first century.
From the halls of Washington to the mountains of Taiwan to the waters of the South Pacific, Red Tide is the story of America at war, as depicted through the eyes of one courageous naval family.
From the New York Times bestselling author behind the Tom Clancy Jack Ryan Jr. books and former U.S. Naval Intelligence officer comes a gripping and timely military thriller.
America's Navy is stretched to the breaking point. China's combat fleet grows. And both countries compete for access to advanced semiconductor chips produced only in Taiwan. When the Chinese strike first, casualties mount and high-tech arsenals are exhausted. It's a war of attrition-and the Chinese are winning.
Rear Adm. Will Cole outgoing operations officer (N3) of the Pacific Fleet is on the brink of retirement. After a thirty-year career, he's ready to settle down, rebuild his marriage, and pass the torch to the next generation of the "Fighting Coles": Their oldest, Henry, flies F-18s. Their middle son, Jamie, is a merchant marine officer. Their daughter, Lucy, has a high-tech job with a defense contractor.
But all plans are scrapped when war drums start beating. The Pacific Fleet commander sends Cole stateside to challenge a hardened political bureaucracy into getting serious about the threat to peace in the Pacific. Proven right when the missiles start flying, Cole is ordered to do the impossible: destroy the Chinese fleet and retake Taiwan-before it's too late. He'll risk everything in a final fleet amphibious action-his career, his Navy, and his family.
With the pacing of a master storyteller and a flair for riveting action sequences, M. P. Woodward captivates readers while raising important questions about the U.S. Navy's ability to remain the world's guarantor of a free sea in the twenty-first century.
From the halls of Washington to the mountains of Taiwan to the waters of the South Pacific, Red Tide is the story of America at war, as depicted through the eyes of one courageous naval family.
Reviews / Votes
**STARRED** Review! "There are spectacular battle scenes that will give fans of the genre heart palpitations. Plenty of excitement for fans of military fiction."-Kirkus"M.P. Woodward's Red Tide is a high-stakes, adrenaline-laced naval thriller ripped straight from tomorrow's headlines. The best thriller I've read this year! With missiles in the air and warships on the move, it's a masterclass in geopolitical strategy and military tactics, humanized through a foundation of bonds forged in the crucible of combat. A former U.S. Naval Intelligence officer, Woodward brings authentic insight and razor-sharp storytelling to every page, creating a terrifyingly plausible scenario of the next world war, one I pray remains a work of fiction. Read it today!" -Jack Carr, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Red Sky Mourning
"Simply superb. In Red Tide, M.P. Woodward delivers an epic tale reminiscent of Tom Clancy's Red Storm Rising masterpiece. Military thriller aficionados rejoice-this is what you've been waiting for!"-Don Bentley, New York Times bestselling author of Forgotten War
"Authentic and electrifying, Red Tide's shocking sea actions and high-stakes geopolitical dramas rhyme with history and ring with truth. This is one sea story you don't want to miss!"-Adm. James Stavridis, USN (Ret.), 16th Supreme Allied Commander of NATO and author of The Admiral's Bookshelf
"Pacific tensions boil over in a final clash for Taiwan, and one naval family emerges as the best hope to maintain the freedom of the seas. Red Tide is a finely crafted military thriller and one hell of a sea story."-Ward Carroll, Host of Ward Carroll YouTube Channel and author of Punk's Force
"Woodward expertly blends geopolitical tension, naval operations, and emotional depth. How the author kept Lucy Cole and Gabe Sorkin from stealing the entire show is a literary miracle. Red Tide is an intensely gripping military thriller, but also a heartfelt salute to those who serve, and the families who serve beside them."-Suspense Magazine
"With its tightly woven plot, brisk pacing, and well-crafted characters, Red Tide is more than a top-notch military thriller, it's a spellbinding and deeply authentic immersion into modern warfare that shows true heart. M.P. Woodward, a master storyteller who writes with an insider's knowledge, clearly brought his A-game on this one. Red Tide is the best naval thriller I've ever read."-Simon Gervais, former RCMP counterterrorism officer and bestselling author of The Elias Network
"Tensions between China and the United States have never been higher as both nations compete for access to advanced semiconductor chips produced only in Taiwan. Pearl Harbor comes to mind as the Chinese launch a surprise attack, crippling the U.S. fleet with devastating missile strikes while knocking American GPS, communications, and reconnaissance satellites out of orbit. A modernized Chinese fleet blockades Taiwan and seizes control of Pacific Sea lanes, throttling global commerce. One courageous military family, the Coles, are at the center of thwarting the Chinese in this war where the US must destroy the Chinese fleet and retake Taiwan. To succeed, Will Cole decides to listen to the reserve commander and tech-savvy venture capitalist Gabe Sorkin. With ties to the DOD's new Defense Innovation Office, Sorkin pushes Cole to think outside the bureaucratic box. There is plenty of action but also some family drama. Blend geographical tension within action-filled realistic plot."-Military Press
More details
Edition
New edition
Language
English
Place of publication
Annopolis
United States
Edition type
New edition
Product notice
Cloth over boards
Illustrations
1 Maps
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 162 mm
Thickness: 35 mm
Weight
814 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-68247-991-9 (9781682479919)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
09/2025
1st Edition
Naval Institute Press
€31.49
Available for download
Person
M. P. Woodward?is the New York Times best-selling author of the Tom Clancy Jack Ryan Jr. series and The Handler CIA espionage series (The Handler and?Dead Drop).??He served as a U.S. naval intelligence officer before going on to an international career in tech and streaming media.? He lives in Redmond, Washington.