One year after the Falklands War and the world seems a safer place. Unfortunately, 1983 is the year WW III almost happened. Staggeringly, it was only afterward that the truth came to light: that the Russians actually went to full nuclear alert and came so very close to starting Armageddon. To this day, most of the world's population know nothing about it.

Lieutenant Jonathon Hunt (Sea Skimmer) has been appointed to a commando helicopter squadron operating in Northern Norway. It is the height of the Cold War, and the Soviets have discovered a secret NATO submarine listening station hidden in the Arctic ice. They would like to do something about it but cannot come up with a method of attack until they decide on the use of an Ekranoplan. This massive machine, known to NATO as the "Caspian Monster", can get them in and out fast enough to give them the deniability they need. Caught up in events, Jon and his observer, Brian Pearce, find themselves flying a Sea King Mark 4 helicopter from HMS Illustrious to the ice in an attempt to stop the Soviets before tragedy occurs.

Based on real events of 1983, The Caspian Monster weaves a story around a year in history that most of the world slept through. This is the second book in the series following the career of Jon Hunt in the modern royal navy.