ONE of the "Dale Brown's Dreamland" series it is impossible to read this book without comparison to Tom Clancy.

Both writers established themselves as top-notch techno-thriller writers and both have moved into these "series" - Tom Clancy with his "Op Centre" and Brown with Dreamland.

All the ingredients are here. From secret stealth bombers to a spy-scare and Dale Brown and Jim Defelice make it believable - or at the least, acceptable.

Could a wealthy Taiwanese businessman actually plot to cause a war between mainland China and America ? Yes he could.

The plot is not so intricate that the reader cannot follow it and the hi-tech equipment that saves the day could actually exist.

So too could Dreamland itself, the highly secret US Airforce establishment that builds and operates the world's most advanced aircraft.

With action jumping from Nevada to Washington, Taipei to Beijing and in the skies over the China Sea, this is a book that grips the reader from chapter one.

Where, it has to be said, Clancy's Op Centre books have descended into pulp fiction, Dale Brown's Dreamland has stayed on top of the game.

Strike Zone by Dale Brown and Jim Defelice (Harper Collins, £6.99 softback)