Out of the blue

In 'Out of the blue', a scenario is sketched in which the Warsaw Pact unexpectedly invades the North German plain with the aim of reaching the North Sea coast with a conventional attack. The attack stalled and the Warsaw Pact resorted to a nuclear weapon to force a breakthrough, causing a nuclear explosion over the city of Utrecht. There is an appropriate response from the Western side, followed by summit talks between world leaders via the red telephone, which is unsatisfactory. It brings about a pre-emptive nuclear attack on the Warsaw Pact countries. The nuclear attack on Utrecht has escalated into a global nuclear war, known as the Pinker War. The immediate consequences of this are described realistically and penetratingly, as well as the aftermath. This leads to a Tribunal where the instigators of the war have to answer for themselves. The book reads like a detective.