Deep Storm

Child, Lincoln. (2007). Deep Storm. New York, NY: Random House Inc.

ISBN: 9780385515504

pages: 370

genre: suspense/thriller

annotation: Medical issues are only the beginning in an undersea station.

summary: Peter Crane is amazed to be approached to find the cause of medical problems occurring in an undersea station. He has naval experience, but wonders why he was approached. He doesn’t have much time to wonder when, soon after he arrives, the problems worsen. Add into this that the cover story  of the station excavating Atlantis is false. If he does not figure out the cause of the problems not only the people on the station, but everyone on the planet, might die.

evaluation: good read
The reason for the station is unique. It might seem over the top, but the matter of fact way it is handled made it seem plausible enough for fiction. The assortment of characters was intriguing: the quick thinking Peter Crane, Admiral Spartan who lives up to his name, etc. I liked the thought processes of the characters as they tried to figure out what was going on: their perspectives and the details about military life and science were fascinating. Two areas, though, unsettled me. One was the ending. The situation at the end is tenuous: I found myself wondering just how people were going to deal with the end result. I would have liked an ending which was more settled. It did get me thinking and wondering what would come next. I also felt ambivalent about sabotage being used. Figuring out who the saboteur did add suspense because cases could be made throughout the book for it being several people. On the other hand, I think not having the sabotage would have added to uniqueness of the premise. It would have kept the story focused on whether what was being dug up was benevolent or not, and whether it should be dug up. This book is a good read for those who like suspense on (or in this case under) the ocean, military drama and finding the truth with humanity’s future on the line.

What else to read:

Other books by Lincoln Child. He frequently co-writes with Douglas Preston.

James Rollin’s Subterranean for another tale of secrets beneath the Earth.

Andy McDermott’s The Hunt for Atlantis for a story involving Atlantis and humanity’s future.

Clive Cussler’s books usually involve the ocean, lots of suspense and the heroes having to protect humanity from threats such as viruses, bioengineered fish, etc.

The Thief

Cussler, Clive. (2012). The Thief. (Isaac Bell #5) New York, NY: G.P. Putnam’s Sons.

ISBN: 9780399158612

pages: 408

genre: suspense/thriller, historical fiction

annotation: Detective Bell becomes involved with a potentially world changing invention.

Summary: Isaac Bell is happy to be returning home to America after a successful case. He becomes embroiled in another one when he saves two fellow travelers from being kidnapped. His good deed causes the travelers to reveal they are two inventors who are close to perfecting aligning pictures with sound. Bell can see the importance of this to entertainment, but the kidnapping attempt makes him wonder if someone else has a more sinister use for “talking pictures”. He comes up against an intelligent foe who wants to use “talking pictures” to change the course of history.

Evaluation: very good read

I liked the ‘feel’ of the early 1900s I got from the book. We take long distance calling and movies for granted. With this book I felt what it could have been like to see both of those as innovations people saw the possibilities of and heatedly worked, and fought, to attain. For instance, the portrayal of Edison’s attempts to control the emerging movie industry brought home how ‘talking pictures’ were a to be fought over marvel. I wish the authors mentioned where they got their information from, so I take this as more speculative than factual. Still, it makes me curious about the history of movies, the transfer from telegraphs to phone for long distance calls, Edison and the early 1900s in general (the year most of the action is set in is not mentioned). The book also alludes to tensions leading up to the ‘Great War’ (WWI) which causes curiosity about that as well. I also liked the characters. Isaac Bell expects a lot from his employees, but he is also fair and has a strong sense of justice. The villain is a good villain: unusual, intelligent and crosses metaphorical swords well with Bell. What annoys me is that Bell wonders if some decisions he makes could be dangerous, but he makes them anyhow and the reader has to wait for the fallout. He has reasons why he makes them, but it still seemed like maybe alternatives should have been explored more. I did find the plot, and the book, enjoyable except for that. Otherwise, it is a good read for those interested in U.S. history 1910-1920 (or just the elements mentioned earlier) and suspense/thrillers.

What else to read:

Other books by Clive Cussler and Justin Scott.

Randall E. Stross The Wizard of Menlo Park for more about Thomas Edison.

Wheeler Winston Dixon and Gwendolyn Audrey’s A Short History of Film for more about films.

Time Life Books The End of Innocence for more about U.S. history 1910-1920.

Warlord

Bell, Ted. (2010). Warlord (6^th in the Alexander Hawke series). New York, NY: William Morrow.

ISBN: 978-0062002242

Pages: 532  

Genre: suspense/thriller

Annotation: Alex Hawke confronts a terrorist plot which could destabilize Britain.

Summary: With the death of the woman he loved Alex Hawke longs for death. He is shocked out of this by a call from his friend Prince Charles. His Royal Highness’s instincts are telling him that the latest threat to his family is a true danger to their safety. As Alex searches for the truth he finds a villain whose hatred goes beyond the Royal Family. This villain is behind an Islamic terrorist group which has been making attacks on the United States and taking over Pakistan. Now Alex must find a way stop this group and its leader before the Royal Family is killed.

Evaluation: Good read

The characters keep the reader’s interest and feel real. Hawke is well named: like a hawk he lives for war and being on the knife edge between life and death. The dynamic between Hawke and his friend retired Inspector Congreve was hilarious. The villain is filled with a revenge the reader could understand while being horrified at his actions. The one character that left me unhappy was the main female character Sahira Karim. On the one hand, she is very intelligent and provides vital assistance at one point in the story. On the other hand, her part in the story seemed mostly w sensationalistic: she meets Alex, they have sex, she disappears for part of the story and then they go on a mission where they have sex again and then we don’t see her again. On the plus side, the author does a good job of tying several storylines together. When the storylines were connected together it showed how dangerous the villain was. I did wonder how the villain could have kept his actions, and feelings, hidden from British intelligence. It was easy for me to predict who he was. My interest was kept, though, because I wanted to find out how this person turned out the way he did. Still, I think it might have been better if there was some doubt as to who he was: when his true name was revealed it felt anticlimactic. In my opinion, the pacing would have been stronger if the descriptions of attacks carried out by the terrorist group and the villain were left out. These events showed Smith and the terrorists are evil, but to me that could have also been accomplished by just mentioning the events. Going into them in depth, showing how they happened, etc. distracted from the major point of the story which was finding Smith and stopping his overall plan. Otherwise I liked the story. As someone who has never fought in war, and is not attracted to fighting, I do not know much about it. Bell’s portrayal of the characters and descriptions of aspects such as logistics, weapons, etc. gave me insight. I do not know the plausibility of the details of how the terrorist group recruited members and planned attacks, but somehow they felt plausible. If so it is chilling. This is a good read for fans of warfare/spy thrillers and/or people who want a look into the world of terrorism.

What else to read:

Other books by Ted Bell.

Blood And Rage: A Cultural History Of Terrorism by Michael Burleigh for learning more about terrorism.

The Infernal Machine: A History of Terrorism by Matthew Carr for another perspective on terrorism.

The Midnight House (John Wells series) by Alex Berenson for another terrorist suspense novel.

The Kill Artist (number one in the Gabriel Allon series) by Daniel Silva for another ex-intelligence agent fighting against terrorism.

Lion of Babylon

Bunn, Davis. (2011). Lion of Babylon. Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House.

ISBN: 0764209051

Pages: 378

Genre: Christian, suspense/thriller

Annotation: Marc Royce goes to Iraq to rescue a missing friend.

Summary: Marc Royce left the intelligence world behind and has no plans to ever return. When he learns a friend has gone missing he goes back into that world, and to Iraq, to rescue him. His determination to save his friend and innocent lives brings him friends and enemies on various sides of the political and religious divides. As he searches for his friend, he learns his friend’s abduction, and that of others, is closely tied to Iraq’s future. As he and his allies go on the quest they also find a religious movement composed of Muslims and Christians who respect Jesus. If he and his allies succeed then the kidnapped will be free and there will be hope for political and religious peace. Unfortunately, he faces enemies who do not like the idea of an Iraq at peace and will do all they can to stop him.

Evaluation: very good read

The characters are excellently portrayed. Marc Royce’s determination to the right thing and his pain about his past capture the reader. Having characters from all sides (U.S., Iraqi, Iran, Christian and Muslim) shows that people are not good or evil based on group, but on the choices they make. Two characters, Walton and Duboe, are very realistic by being grey: mostly pragmatic but also giving credit and trust where it is due. The storyline works well for the most part. The reader cares if the abductees will be rescued and what is going to happen in Iraq’s future. The only caveats I had were that sometimes clues came too quickly or events flowed too smoothly. A note on the Christian element in the story: it is interwoven into the storyline, but is not, in my opinion anyways, overbearing. The conversations and feelings about faith center on peoples’ feelings about faith versus conversion to Christianity. The pacing is excellent for a suspense/thriller. Events happen fast enough to keep the reader’s attention but no so fast as to be implausible. The pragmatic and under the table aspect of government dealings came across very clearly. Iraq, and Iraqis, are portrayed respectfully: people with a rich past they feel is very connected to the present. A very good read for those who want a suspense/thriller, a look into Iraq and/or intelligence agencies.

What else to read:

Other books byDavis Bunn.

Vigilante by Robert Parrish for suspense/thriller.

The Snake Eaters: An Unlikely Band of Brothers and the Battle for the Soul of Iraq by Owen West for more about the war in Iraq.

Voices from Iraq: A People's History, 2003-2009 by Mark Kukis for different Iraqi perspectives on the war.

Understanding Iraq: The Whole Sweep of Iraqi History, from Genghis Khan's Mongols to the Ottoman Turks to the British Mandate to the American Occupation by William R. Polk for an overall view of Iraq’s history.

Spycraft: The Secret History of the CIA's Spytechs, from Communism to al-Qaeda by Robert Wallace, H. Keith Melton, Henry R. Schlesinger for more about the CIA.

The Lost Symbol

Brown, Dan. (2009) The Lost Symbol. New York, NY: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.

ISBN: 9780385504225

Pages: 509

Genre: suspense/thriller

Annotation: Robert Langdon must solve a Mason riddle or face death.

Summary: Robert Langdon is called to Washington to give a lecture by an old friend. Instead, he finds the old friend has been kidnapped and that Langdon must solve a Mason riddle to save him. Langdon does not have an easy choice: solve the riddle and uncover knowledge kept secret for a reason or face death at the hands of a chilling villain.

Evaluation: good read

I had mixed feelings about this book. In regards to characters there were hits and misses. Langdon’s determination to save lives and solve the riddle endears him to the reader. It is hard, though, for the reader to live the experience with him because he is too levelheaded at times. The kidnapper is portrayed very well: he is a malevolent character the reader wants to look away from but finds compelling. I felt the character of Trish, Katherine’s assistant, was as interesting as Katherine and that more could have been done with her character. The storyline is good because the steps leading to the end are interesting and I wanted to see the end result. On the other hand, there were a lot of elements in the story which made it bog down a bit. Noetic Science was one element I especially had mixed feelings on. It is fascinating but also seems a better fit for science fiction because it, to me, just seems to “out there”. The atmosphere of the story is mostly well done. Noetic Science seems too implausible, but the descriptions of history, buildings and etc. were interesting. This is a good read for those wanting to read about Masons, Washington DC and stories where past secrets intersect with the present.

What else to read:

Other books by Dan Brown.

The Templar Legacy by Steve Berry for a race to solve past secrets which could influence the present.

Secrets of the Symbols: The Unauthorized Guide to Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol by Dan Burstein and Arne de Keijzer for learning more about The Lost Symbol.

The Masonic Myth: Unlocking the Truth About the Symbols, the Secret Rites, and the History of Freemasonry by Jay Kinney for learning more about the Masons.