Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Without Mercy, Jack Higgins

Jack Higgins has written a great story in "Without Mercy". In the previous book "Dark Justice" Ferguson, top intelligent agent for the British and Dillon, former IRA enforcer, has just killed Belov, Russian billionaire in oil, who supported all terrorism. Some of Belov's agents who were supposed to have died in the shoot out survived and wanted revenge against Ferguson and his band of spies. Hannah Bernstein, a special branch detective dies in the assassination of Belov and Sean takes it on very seriously. He is not fond of coppers but holds a special warmth in his heart for Hannah. He is very hurt and feels guilty. President Putin of Russia wanted the Belov assets for their country so he sends Igor Levin, Russian super agent, to Britain to see things through. This leads to a chase throughout western Europe with shoot outs and danger.

Higgins has his characters traveling to Ibiza and to the Algerian coast and back to Britain, with trips to Belfast. All of the characters are excellent shots and the shoot outs are exciting. Higgins holds your interest together well although the plotting is very simple and the final shoot out leaves the reader wondering what is up next... It is a good thriller!

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

The Camel Club, David Baldacci

Baldacci is a good story telling author and with "The Camel Club" he has the reader focusing on several plots in one story. The Camel Club is sort of a conspiracy watchdog organization that looks at problems in our government. It is run by four misfit men, the leader is Oliver Stone, assumed name. The group witnessed the murder of a Secret Service agent on Roosevelt Island in the Potomac river. This is the beginning of a nightmare. Baldacci includes terrorists, government officials and the President of the USA to keep the reader alert. There are many subplots that should not be over looked. Baldacci goes into depth as to the way the Muslims think, the freedom that the Americans have and the aggression of democracy in the Arab world by the US. This all leads to some kidnappers who force the US to threaten Damascus with a nuclear missile. A lot of facts and history are the way Baldacci keeps the reader focused on the truth. The Camel Club, with two new members lives on to another story.



The Camel Club (Unabridged)

Thursday, October 12, 2006

Judge and Jury, Patterson & Gross

"Judge & Jury" - Patterson is one of the best-known and bestselling writers of all time. Nick Pellisante, special agent for the FBI in New York, has staked out a wedding on Long Island in hopes to capture a mobster, Dominic Cavello. Cavello is spotted and the word was go, but the capture went bad and several agents are killed including two of Nick's close friends. Cavello is caught and jailed which leads to a trial. A jury is selected and the trial begins, but Cavello is not worried for he has the best mercenary and assassin on his side. As the trial continued, the prosecuters had a good and solid case. The jurors were in a bus when the mercenary blew it up, killing all the jurors but one, Andie Degrasse. Her ten year old son was on the bus also for his birthday, his death left a big hole in her heart.

Nick Pellisante quit the FBI and started teaching law. He felt bad for Andie and went to see her. This started a relationship between them and when the new trial came, Andie and Nick went to see the proceedings. The new trial was to be held at Ft Dix Army Base, NJ, totally set aside from the public. In the transfer of Cavello to Ft Dix from the federal building, guards were taking Cavello down in an elevator when a large explosion goes off in the basement. Through the confusion Cavello escapes.

Nick goes over the tapes of the elevator for several weeks and makes a link as to who the mercenary was, a man in Israel. With his connections from the FBI, he learns this mans address. Andie and Nick are off to Israel. They hope to learn Cavello's location. They found this mans home and watched for weeks until they came up with a plan. The plan worked and they found out where Cavello was, southern Argentina, "the end of the earth" as Cavello said.

Nick and Andie are off to Argentina. They locate the ranch and realize how desolate the area is and winter is setting in fast. They learn Cavello's routine and come up with a plan that will use Andie's talents. Patterson & Gross do a fine job bringing the story to a close, but when you think it is over, it is not. The ending is great, eye for an eye...

Sunday, October 08, 2006

The Twelfth Card, Jeffery Deaver - Review and Video

The Twelfth Card is a Lincoln Rhyme novel that is packed with suspense. Lincoln Rhyme is a forensic expert confined to a wheelchair, but still has a very active mind in criminology. His side kick, Amelia Sacks, is his legs for walking the crime scene. They make a good team! A sixteen year old Harlem high school student is doing a research paper on a past relative of hers that was a slave. His master freed him and gave him an apple orchard of five acres in New York. The research led to an assassin going after her. Why is she the target? Lincoln is trying to find that out with the clues he has. There were several attempts on Geneva’s life but she managed to elude the killer. More clues were gathered after each attempt but they all led in different directions. Deaver has produced an excellent forensic criminologist in Rhyme and it is amazing how he can take a microscopic piece of evidence and come up with the direction to go. The book starts off with suspense and ends with suspense. A very good book with a good ending..