Colonel Andy Harp, USMC (ret.) “while building a successful career in law, he was also succeeding in another career-the United States Marine Corps Reserve. During nearly thirty years spent in the Reserves, Harp rose to the level of Colonel and served in the Persian Gulf, Central America, Europe, Korea, and the Pentagon. He was mobilized for “Operation Enduring Freedom” – the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan – where he was the Officer in Charge of the Marines’ Crisis Action Team for Marine Forces Central Command and Marine Forces Pacific.” Colonel Andy Harp is the author of A Northern Thunder.

According to the book description of A Northern Thunder, “North Korea, a Communist nation in desperate financial straits, concentrates its military resources on a scientist bent on swiftly creating missile technology that can: a) take out other countries satellites in space; b) disseminate nuclear payloads to all parts of the earth, thus giving it the power to extort trillions from the rest of the world; and c) be sold to terrorists and rogue nations at exceedingly high prices.

To protect its investment, North Korea takes no chances. A super-skilled North Korean assassin with the latest lethal methods is dispatched to secretly kill the scientist’s worldwide competitors.  Meantime, the U.S. military plucks Marine reservist Will Parker from retirement. His mission? Penetrate dangerous North Korea, and flesh out its leading military scientist from an entourage of three doppelgangers Parker roomed with the real guy his freshman year in college. At the same time, with the help of a North Korean asset, the FBI finally connects the dots, and starts on the trail of the North Korean assassin, hoping to catch him before he kills again.

It s a corker of a well-paced story that makes you feel like you re there. And why not? Harp, a retired USMC colonel and longtime member of the Reserves, gives his protagonist an in-depth back-story and special set of characteristics that a broad audience can relate to and appreciate. He tells the story of a longtime military man relearning to do the right thing for the right reasons. He populates A Northern Thunder with some mind-blowing military technology all little known, but actually in existence. And his North Korean theme and milieu couldn’t be more timely or more important and will remain so for decades. Plus, Harp s A Northern Thunder springs straight from the real world. The threat to the world s satellites is acutely and officially recognized by the United States, among others.

With tons of action, intrigue, character, romance, and deception, A Northern Thunder has everything a good spy story needs. It s a riveting military thriller/spy novel, written in the much-praised tradition of Tom Clancy s very best work.”

A Northern Thunder Andy Harp  More Info

One reader of A Northern Thunder said, “I was told that Col. Harp crafted this novel for some time without any hint to friends or family. As the sun rises over the Eastern horizon, dawning a new day of life lived minute by minute, a masterpiece was brought to light in Col. Harp's debut A Northern Thunder: A pure fiction saturated with twists and turns at every chapter; Col. Harp literally keeps you holding your breath as you try to, though unsuccessfully, determine the fate of Will Parker and his supporting cast. With the turn of every page, Col. Harp delivers an action-packed, yet keenly insightful military thriller comparable to Robert Ludlum's trilogy about CIA assassin Jason Bourne. Engulfed in such a direct perception of truth and knowledge through immense geographical detail and accurate research in the way the characters are depicted, you finish the book with a crystal-clear picture of Will Parker's journey from the courtroom in Vienna, Georgia to the shores of North Korea. I can't wait for Col. Harp (and Will Parker) to take me through another adventure such as A Northern Thunder.”

Another reader of A Northern Thunder said, “Staunch Stalinist Peter Nampo lives in North Korea; he wants to make it a power to be reckoned with and a moneymaker for its satellite weapon system that he is developing. Once in geo-orbit, it can knock out other countries satellites and spread radiation on its enemies; he plans to sell it to terrorists and rogue nations for hard cash to feed the population that is on the verge of starvation.

Nampo is such a VIP that he is a never in the open unless it is with his three doubles; a North Korean assassin is killing all the scientists around the globe that are near completion on the weapons system. Rear Admiral Julius Krowl of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is aware of the situation and sends Reserve Colonel Will Parker, the only western man who knows what Nampo looks like to get inside North Korea and figure out which of the doppelgangers is the real Nampo in order to take a picture. He prepares for the mission under grueling conditions but he also makes preparation to make sure his back is covered if he is successful.

Readers of fast paced, adrenaline pumping military thrillers that keep the audience attention throughout will thoroughly enjoy NORTHERN THUNDER. Each main character is well developed and understandable even the villains (who consider themselves the good guys patriots and our side the villains) who hate the United States. Surprisingly, China is portrayed as a gentle giant trying to keep its wayward child under control. Andy Harp knows how to create a good story that is germane to the times.”