Invisible Prey: a novel by John Sandford

Superb writing***** June 30, 2007

Lucas Davenport is back in the 17th Prey novel. He is involved in the investigation of a state politician who appears to have had sexual relations with a minor, the daughter of a woman he has been involved with. Lucas is assigned to deal with this situation sensitively. But at the same time he is called to the scene of an heinous murder of a weathy old lady and her maid. It appears that it may have been a robbery gone wrong but some valuable antiques are missing. Lucas turns up a series of other similar murders that appear to be related to antiques. He cleverly figures out who the killers are. They are hiding in plain sight. Sandford weaves a very smooth story well-plotted and with clearly drawn characters. This is one of his best.

The Overlook: a novel by Michael Connelly

Short but Punchy**** June 30, 2007

Months after the confusion of Echo Park, Harry Bosch is back, this time on a different assignment with a wide mandate to investigate sensitive homicides. In his first case he gets a late night call re an apparent execution on the Overlook overlooking Los Angeles. Dr. Stanley Kent, radiologist, has been murdered. His wife is found bound in their home. Kent was contacted by the apparent kidnappers and instructed to steal cesium and bring it to the Overlook. Because of the suspected terrorism link the FBI gets involved and Harry is partnered again with his old flame, FBI Agent Rachel Walling. But Harry realizes that the FBI is unlikely to keep the LAPD involved as is their wont. So he pursues the investigation aggressively and uncovers the real villains while the FBI is left with mud on its face. This is a first-rate short novel by one of the best crime writers in the world.

The Fourth Order: A novel by Stephen Frey

Anti-terrorism run amok*** June 24, 2007

Stephen Frey departs from his usual financial shenanigans high stakes thriller to author a novel involving shadowy figures authorized by the US govt to execute innocent people with immunity. This Fourth Order, I-4, supposedly dates back to Lincoln's assassination. It is run by a four-member Directorate which includes a personal emissary of the US President. The chief protagonist of the novel is Michael Rose, Chief Financial Officer of Trafalgar Industries, who is hell-bent on acquiring Computer Information Systems (CIS), at the urging of the former Chief of Staff of the US President. But the Fourth Order is using CIS to channel funds to agents and companies that do work for it. This work includes the detention, interrogation and sometimes off-the-books execution of Americans, including innocents falsely suspected of being terrorists. For obvious reasons the Fourth Order is not keen on having Michael Rose inspect CIS's financial records.The plot revolves around the take-over attempt and the efforts to thwart it by I-4 operatives. They go so far as to allow terrorists to pull off a repeat of 9/11 airline hijackings in order to raise the American populace from what they perceive as its complacency. These are some bad lads.

Man in the Middle: a novel by Brian Haig

Too many wisecracks*** June 22, 2007

Sean Drummond is back, this time on assignment to the CIA. He is called to the scene of an apparent suicide of Clifford Daniels, a high-ranking Defense Department official. There he meets and eventually teams up with a stunningly beautiful female military police officer, Bian Tran. There are many red herrings along the way but Drummond figures out why Daniels died. This takes him and Tran to Iraq where events take a weird turn. The identity of Daniels' killer is a considerable surprise. This book has all the elements of an excellent novel except that Haig throws in too many wisecracks and too many detours and dead ends along the way.

Allah's Scorpion: a novel by David Hagberg

Nuclear destruction of Washington averted**** June 22, 2007

Former CIA Director Kirk McGarvey is back in this fast-paced thriller. al-Qaeda launches an attack on Camp Echo at Guantanomo Bay to snatch four Iranian naval officers because bin Laden needs a naval crew for his latest plot. Cut next to Venezuela where former British Royal Navy submarine captain named Rupert Graham impersonates a Russian captain and takes command of an oil tanker. He proceeds in an attempt to block the Panama Canal but is thwarted by Kirk McGarvey who has been brought back in an attempt to foil al-Qaeda.

But this is only the first shoe. bin Laden has arranged to get a nuclear submarine from Libya and nuclear missiles from Russian black market. MCGarvey and his sidekick Gloria Ebenez go to Pakistan to track down bin Laden. They don't succeed but back in the States McGarvey figures out that the target is Washington. Any more details would spoil your read. Enjoy!

Daddy's Girl: a novel by Lisa Scottoline

Not Scottoline's best***June 22, 2007

Natalie "Nat" Greco, a law professor seeking tenure, is teaching a boring class to a small group of bored students when a colleague invites her along to a prison where he does extension work with some inmates. A prison riot breaks out and an inmate attempts to rape Nat. She escapes and runs to help a prison guard who is dying. Before he dies he asks her to tell his wife: "It's under the floor." Nat and her colleague Angus Holt run into many blind allies as they try to decipher the meaning of this phrase.The ending involves a major plot twist. I've read most of Scottoline's earlier work and this is not her best by any measure. Nat's family of jocks is ridiculous, caricatures of real people.

Ultimatum 2: a novel by Richard Rohmer

Cardboard characters, wooden dialogue** June 1, 2007

I recall reading Richard Rohmer's early novels many years ago such as Ultimatum(1973) and Separation(1976). His prose style has not improved over the intervening years. The cental plot of this novel revolves around the development of a plan to create an international nuclear waste disposal facility that could be used to permanently dispose of nuclear wastes from peaceful and military uses. The unlikely hero is a Dr. Rob Ross, nuclear physicist, who is appointed as Special Ambassador by the US President. He develops a proposal for a geological borehole in the Canadian Arctic. The US, Russia and the UK sign a protocol to establish this site and then present it to the Canadian PM as a fait accompli. When the Canadian PM says "No", the US says it will use military force if necessary to occupy the site and build the facility. The Canadian PM issues an order to the CDS to meet the US aircraft with all fighters at our disposal (ridiculous since the PM is Harper). Then in a surprising turn of events in a couple of pages, The US Vice-President dies from a heart attack, the President is killed in a helicopter crash and the Speaker of the House becomes President. She orders a withdrawal of American forces from Iraq and Afghanistan and the deployment of a significant portion of those troops to police the US/Mexico border. When briefed on the Canadian situation, she decides to proceed but through negotiations rather than force.

This book is laughable. Don't waste your money.