The 18th in a long line of Pocket Books Star Trek novels. It is a bit slow through the first 2/3, finishing with an action packed 1/3 that includes treachery, discovery, and surprise maneuvers.

This isn't the authors first novel, or even her first Star Trek novel. She writes a solid story, with our heroes definitely the good guys. With several distinct characters, this Enterprise crew isn't just earth based. There is also a good description of other starship crews, including one native to Deneb, as Kirk is put in charge of a patrol with four ships.

This is also an excellent description of the Romulans in general and this commander in particular - Ael is a strong female character. She and her ship have fallen afoul of the government and are tasked with a provocative suicide mission. I wonder how much of Duane's Romulans are incorporated into TNG, especially Tasha Yar's daughter.

Definitely one of the better Star Trek novels, standing out in a field of roughly 125 competitors. Read this when first released, not sure if I read the sequel, and definitely didn't finish the series - the third and fourth books were published in 2000, and a fifth in 2006. I plan to finish the series this time. 4 out of 5 stars.