Release Date: November 10, 2026
A missing pilot. A fragile ceasefire. A secret that could restart the war.
Lieutenant Commander Jessie “Swagger” Hampton has vanished. His F-35 was shot down over North Korea, but with no body recovered and no proof of survival, Washington has little appetite for an operation that could ignite another conflict.
His wife, Lieutenant Commander Sarah “Danger” Freeman, refuses to give up on him. Returning to the cockpit of her E-2D Hawkeye, Sarah flies assigned missions and isolates a cluster of ghost transmissions buried beneath the clutter—micro-burst signals that match no known allied signatures. When CIA officer Dallas Steele begins pulling at the same thread, scattered intelligence points to something far more dangerous than a missing aviator.
Operating deep within the shadows of North Korea is an adversary who knows precisely how to evade America’s most sophisticated surveillance. As Sarah and Steele race to uncover the truth, the search for one pilot threatens to expose a hidden reality that could shatter the fragile peace on the Korean peninsula and plunge the Pacific theater into full-scale war.
Finding the truth about Jessie Hampton is no longer just a search for a missing pilot. America’s military advantage may depend on it.
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Debut Novel
PRAISE FOR SEA OF RED
“Sea or Red is one of the year’s best military thrillers.”
-BestThrillers.com
“This is a book for true military buffs. A military thriller with…high stakes.” -Kirkus Reviews
“High Stakes and well plotted, the military thriller Sea of Red reflects how real soldiers think
and act…a gripping military thriller.
-Foreword Clarion
MAJOR AWARDS:
Award Winner - Independent Press Award
Award Winner - Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award
Award Winner - Military Writers Society of America
Award Finalist -American Fiction Awards
Award Finalist - BestThrillers.com
Distinguished Favorite - NYC Big Book Award
"An adrenaline-fueled military thriller...with fast-paced action and a gripping narrative...a thrilling ride from start to finish...5 out 5 stars." -OnlineBookClub
"Right from the first page, Bultema makes it clear to audiences that this is no ordinary thriller...In this sweeping saga...Strong-willed characters and nonstop action...makes for a battle royale that exhilarates all the way to the end." -US Review of Books
"A thriller that becomes increasingly frenetic with each passing moment...Bultema's military thriller hums with hyperactivity while offering a deep dive into the perilous realm of geopolitics, from grand strategies to ground-level intricacies" -Blueink Review
“Sea of Red is exemplary in production quality and cover design...and will appeal to many readers... This book is exemplary in character appeal (or interest) and development. All main characters (including antagonists) are unique and fully fleshed out with compelling, layered motivations and traits...Sea of Red is exemplary in its voice and writing style...The premise is something out of today's headlines and with the addition of the glossary, and maps will appeal to readers of military and war fiction.” -Writer’s Digest
“Fast paced, fictional novel that gives us a very interesting account of a possible war with China…Bultema is believable, and the strategies used by both China and the United States are realistic. The book is filled with numerous offensive and defensive combat situations that the author describes in detail. The results are not one-sided and had me wondering how he would bring his book to a satisfactory conclusion…recommended to anyone who enjoys a good thriller.” -Military Writers Society of America
“From depicting underwater submarines and pursuing torpedoes to devastating air assaults, the author does a commendable job of painting an image of a tenuous situation where every decision literally leaves hundreds, if not thousands, of lives hanging in the balance. The frenetic pace of the book matches that of the action… Bultema’s ability to develop characters in such a fast-paced setting is impeccable, and by throwing them into essentially survival-of-the-fittest situations, their true characters come out… Strong-willed characters and nonstop action in the author’s novel make for a battle royale that exhilarates all the way to the end.” -US Review of Books – Highlight Review
Awards
BIO
James Bultema is a military combat veteran and the best-selling, award-winning author of the Sea of Red series. Each novel has won literary awards, including Best Military Thriller of the Year.
Drawing on his military experience, academic background in history, and extensive research, Bultema creates military thrillers grounded in the geopolitical tensions shaping our world. Known for their technical accuracy, fast-paced action, and compelling characters, his novels anticipate emerging global conflicts with remarkable accuracy, often before they command the world’s attention.