Books like Day of the Cheetah

This was an entertaining read. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.Here be the male equivalent of Wuthering Heights and whatnot for men. Cheesy, corny, cliche, with simple characters, lot of rebellion against the establishment, Top Gun maverick types, MILFs everywhere, hardcore 80s action. Everything you need for pure enjoyment.I've read Dale Brown in the past and remembered the techno-thriller streak. Less so this time. I guess my tech savviness has increased manyfold since, and I don't find the technical details as engaging in the past. But that's fine, because the book is good enough even if the technobabble is aimed at the non-congnoscenti (plus lots of mistakes - the M61 Vulcan caliber is referenced liberally as anything between 20 and 30 mm).Anyway, Patrick McLanahan (that's a rad, cool name, ain't it) is back. We have the well-proven formula. Soviet spies. Hi-tech aircraft. Thought-controlled cockpit. Crazy pilots. Intrigue. Conspiracy. Darn good dog fights. The mandatory use of B-52 (Dale was a WSO on a BUFF in his USAF career). Imagine a typical 80s VHS action movie. Transpose it into writing. You get this.Day of the Cheetah was written in 1989 - and the action in the book takes place in mid-90s. It's funny to see how the author imagined the tech leap in that era. Very accurate on one hand, very naive on the other. He nailed it with modern satellite comms and stealth technologies, he missed it with computers, terminals and smartphones. 'Tis a trip into the past, and it's very endearing.There were also a whole lot of typos in the book, but I don't mind that.All in all, good - and it improves as you read on. I was a bit skeptical in the first 10-15%, but then Dale added some depth, made the plot gently more convoluted, and introduced nice, colorful combat. This is where his writing shines - air battles. Accurate, gritty and captivating. Well, he knows his air stuff.I shall continue reading the neverending McLanahan saga, for sure.A little song to accompany me sweet review:Revvin' up your engineListen to her howlin' roarMetal under tensionBeggin' you to touch and goHighway to the danger zoneRide into the danger zoneHeadin' into twilightSpreadin' out her wings tonightShe got you jumpin' off the trackAnd shovin' into overdriveHighway to the danger zoneI'll take youRidin' into the danger zoneIgor