Three Books. Three Battles. One Connected Story.
David Miller’s Drake Chandler Series combines military suspense, submarine warfare, international conflict, political intrigue, leadership, and personal relationships across three interconnected novels.
The three books—No Peace in Our Time, Save the Illinois, and The Unintended President—expand the story from the control rooms of nuclear submarines to the highest levels of American government.
At the center of the first two books is Drake Chandler, a submarine commander whose experience and decision-making repeatedly place him in situations where failure can have consequences far beyond his own ship.
Book One: No Peace in Our Time
The series begins in the world of nuclear submarine operations.
Drake Chandler commands the USS Pittsburgh, working alongside key members of his crew, including Karen Young, the Executive Officer, and Carla Kelly, the Weapons Officer.
The novel places Chandler in a world where tactical decisions, submarine technology, command relationships, and international tensions intersect.
The Persian Gulf becomes particularly important because of its shallow waters, difficult acoustic environment, and the presence of Iranian submarines.
Chandler’s expertise makes him valuable—but it also puts him into conflict with other officers and senior leaders.
His relationship with Tom Witson, commanding officer of the USS Illinois, becomes especially contentious. Their professional rivalry adds another layer of tension to the submarine story.
Book Two: Save the Illinois
The story continues with a crisis involving the USS Illinois.
A submarine is damaged after a collision with a covert enemy vessel and loses propulsion before sinking toward the ocean floor.
The resulting mission requires Captain Drake Chandler to attempt an extraordinary rescue.
The USS Pittsburgh must help recover the massive submarine, while divers attach a steel tow cable to the sunken USS Illinois. The operation becomes a dangerous underwater struggle involving depth, propulsion, cavitation, and the surrounding enemy threat.
For Chandler, the mission is ultimately about his crew and the people trapped aboard the Illinois.
Book Three: The Unintended President
The third book takes the series in a dramatically different direction.
Instead of focusing primarily on submarine warfare, The Unintended President moves into the world of Washington politics.
The central character is Andrea Herder, an experienced congresswoman from North Carolina. The novel introduces her as a successful politician who has repeatedly won elections in territory dominated by the opposing political party.
Her political career changes when presidential candidate Lincoln Jefferson asks her to become his running mate.
Andrea is initially skeptical. She recognizes that she and Jefferson are on opposite ends of the political spectrum, and her relationship with Nadine Pullings is particularly strained.
Eventually, Andrea agrees to join the ticket—but only if she is included in major policy decisions.
From there, her journey takes her from Congress to the Vice Presidency and ultimately toward the highest office in the country.
From Submarine Command to Presidential Leadership
What makes the three books interesting as a series is the movement from military leadership to political leadership.
Drake Chandler faces decisions beneath the surface where seconds, tactical judgment, and crew coordination can determine survival.
Andrea Herder faces a different battlefield: Washington.
Her challenges involve political opponents, competing agendas, national policy, and the enormous responsibility that comes with presidential power.
The third book also develops a personal dimension through Andrea’s relationships and family. The manuscript follows her daughter Laney and introduces an unexpected love story involving Steven.
A Series About Leadership Under Pressure
Although the settings change, a common theme runs through the Drake Chandler Series:
What happens when ordinary decisions become extraordinary responsibilities?
Drake Chandler must protect his crew while navigating military and political pressures.
Andrea Herder must navigate Washington while deciding what kind of leader she will become.
Both characters are placed in situations where there is no easy answer.
That makes the series more than a collection of military and political thrillers. It is a story about leadership, responsibility, loyalty, courage, conflict, and the consequences of difficult decisions.
Start the Journey
Readers can begin with No Peace in Our Time, continue with Save the Illinois, and then experience the political transformation of the story in The Unintended President.
Together, the three books create a journey that moves from:
Nuclear submarines → international conflict → impossible rescue missions → political power → presidential leadership.
For readers who enjoy military thrillers, submarine fiction, political suspense, and character-driven stories about people facing impossible odds, the Drake Chandler Series offers a distinctive combination of genres.
Three stories. Three battles. One world.
And it all begins beneath the surface.