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Logan West Thrillers Series, Book 3

This is an exciting, action packed novel featuring Logan West and his deadly task force. While it is based on some facts from a previously written book about a world wide plot to take down the U.S. government and pit America against China, it can be read in one gulp. The plot is the same as other Matthew Betley books with West and his task force. A huge amount of military style action and danger filled sequences set on a stage in the U.S. itself. The area is near Washington D.C., i.e., Virginia, Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. The enemy is a gigantic, extremely well funded international organization with the means to rival many first world countries.

Leadership of this titanic organization runs to the very top of the U.S. government with the means to learn secrets only held by a few.

Betley does include some humanizing facts about the warriors comprising West’s task force. Two of the members are in the starting stages of a romance with the girl as much of a fighter as her boy friend. Logan himself is married with his wife aware of the dangers he faces and worried about him for that. The book is a fast read, as indicated as much action as can possibly be crammed into it’s pages, and certainly a draw for those books featuring Logan and his task force coming out in the future.

5/18 Paul Lane

FIELD OF VALOR by Matthew Betley. Atria/Emily Bestler Books (May 22, 2018).  ISBN 978-1501161988. 400p.

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Jonathan Hunter is an employee of the CIA who has not seen his family for years due to assignments in places like Afghanistan, Iraq and other mid-eastern hot spots. Out of the blue he gets a call from his brother Kevin to rush home to help him. In spite of being estranged for 15 years Jonathan goes AWOL from his duty station and rushes home.

Unfortunately it is just in time to meet Kevin dying by a lake that both brothers are familiar with and hear his last words, “Khalifah not them, Maya.”

Kevin has obviously been murdered and Jonathan, in spite of not seeing him for so long, vows to find and execute his killer.

With the violence of the killing beginning the novel it is a safe bet that the remainder of the book will feature more of the same. And that is certainly what happens. While going after the killer or killers Jonathan meets his brother’s widow, his adopted son and has his CIA supervisor find him up and okay the search. Oh yes, seems like Kevin’s death is tied into a plot by extremists to cause a mass killing of Americans in several areas and the forcing of action against the perpetrators by the U.S. government. Also Kevin’s widow develops an attraction for Jonathan, and she also has an adopted son that is somehow tied into Islamic terrorists.

O’Connor vividly portrays the hierarchy of the CIA to which Jonathan is attached. His direct supervisor, Oscar LaRue, shows up in time to tie many other side factors to the murder and orders Jonathan to investigate these while he is working on his brother’s case. Tall order, but our hero is certainly able to do so in spite of all the factors working against him. He gets involved with a female FBI agent who starts out very antagonistic but does develop a liking for him, and a local police officer that is so certain that Jonathan is guilty of something that he becomes a tormentor to him.

The ending leaves enough clues to make it almost a certainty that there will be future books featuring Jonathan Hunter, his supervisor and others who are front and center in “The Consultant”. I look forward to these for the promise of steady action in those novels.

5/18 Paul Lane

THE CONSULTANT by Tj O’Connor. Oceanview Publishing (May 15, 2018).  ISBN 978-1608092833. 432p.

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In the history of the United States, several presidents have been assassinated. In none of these murders has the killer ever been brought to justice and tried in a court of law for the crime. Buffa has set up a riveting novel describing how such an event might take place.

A newly elected president takes a trip to San Francisco and while still aboard Air Force One, accepts a visit from the junior senator from California. This man is seen as one that could run against the president and due to his popularity, win the next election and take the office.

While still on the plane, shouts are heard and people running into the area where Kevin Fitzgerald, the senator, had met the president  who is seen lying on the floor with wounds on his body. Senator Fitzgerald is holding a bloody knife and quickly confesses to the murder. He demands a trial indicating he wants to bring out the reason that he killed the president.

Joseph Antonelli, a character used by Buffa in previous novels and known as the defense attorney that has never lost a case, is asked to take the case on behalf of Kevin Fitzgerald.

The handling of the trial and the back and forth action is guaranteed to keep the reader glued to the book. There are enough events occurring to make a very rewarding read even better than normal, including a love affair that captures Antonelli’s interest. The ending is not telegraphed and is a surprise and one not expected by the reader but upon reflection, a very apt one.

5/18 Paul Lane

NECESSITY by D.W. Buffa. Polis Books (April 24, 2018).  ISBN 978-1947993082. 352p.

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 A World of Spies Mystery, Book 1

O’Donohue gives us a thoroughly delightful tale featuring two charming main characters, a plot that features international criminal activity, murder, and mayham but presented in a slightly tongue in cheek manner, blunting any horror.

Hollis and Finn Larrson are two married professors with at least PhDs teaching at the same university in Michigan. They have arrived at the top of their professions, have academic tenure, great reputations in their subject field, but have reached a point in their married lives in which they may be taking the other partner slightly for granted. Our story begins when Finn proposes a vacation involving a trip to Chicago in which he will go to Wriggly Field to watch baseball with Hollis dutifully tagging along. Hollis is not too thrilled with such a vacation but their marriage is too solid to have a big fight over it.

Right out of the blue Hollis gets a visit from a friend of hers who was a companion during a short period that she actually worked for the CIA, taking the training in preparation for a career with the organization. There are some hints that the “friend” was involved with her until she left the CIA to return to graduate school where she met Finn; they married and several years later both are teachers at the college level. But her friend is there to make an offer to the two which would set a different tone for a getaway. He indicates that the CIA would pay for a trip to Dublin, Ireland if Finn, an expert in the field would pick up a manuscript, quickly authenticate it and, if real, deliver it as directed. A twenty minute task paying for a priceless trip to Ireland Hollis jumps at the chance, and although Finn is not that thrilled with the idea he goes along with the woman he loves.

The trip starts with a bang. Their contact is not there; they run into various individuals that would love to get their hands on the manuscript, they are forced to run all over the section of Ireland that they have gone to. Their lives are at risk and a twenty minute job turns into a life threatening situation . Needless to say the book is an all nighter with enough suspense to keep one wrapped tightly into it. I can’t help but hope that Hollis and Finn can find other non academic adventures to get involved in in the near future.

5/18 Paul Lane

BEYOND THE PALE by Clare O’Donohue. Midnight Ink (May 8, 2018).  ISBN 978-0738756509. 360p.

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A Max Tudor Mystery, Book 7 

Malliet presents the 7th book written featuring Max Tudor, the Vicar of his church in the village of Nether Monkslip, situated in a charming rural section of England. Max is quite happy in his chosen role after a career with British Intelligence as an agent for MI5. He is married to a lovely lady, has a young son and is very content with his role in life.

Unfortunately, Max seems to attract murder like a fly to honey and has proven quite a help to DCI Cotton of the local police in solving these cases.

Just returning from a trip with Cotton to help with a case in another town, Max wants nothing more than to relax and concentrate on a sermon he plans to give about the ancient Israeli King David and his lust for Bathsheba. David had committed the sin of sending Bathsheba’s husband to die during a war so that she could be his wife.

Just getting involved in the sermon, the town is confronted with the apparent murder and attempted suicide pact of the wife of the local manor lord. Max is plunged into helping to solve the crime and away we go. It is probably not appropriate to use the term “charming” about a case of murder, but Malliet’s prose brings this adjective to mind. There are no grisly murder scenes depicted, merely statements that these occurred. Life in Nether Monkslip is modern; computers are used, e-books are read and the people are affected when bad things happen.

The novel is a fun read, certainly not deep nor devious, quite satisfying and certainly sure to whet the reader’s appetite for more of these books.

4/18 Paul Lane

IN PRIOR’S WOOD by G. M. Malliet. Minotaur Books (April 17, 2018).  ISBN 978-1250092809. 304p.

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Zac Miller is a long term employee of the CIA who is currently based in London. He is not a field operative, has never “run” someone that is bringing in important intelligence work for the US. His work is devoted to the necessary administrative tasks that are indispensable for the agency to function but never bring in the glory attached to spy work.

The novel opens with Zac on a trip to Paris to meet with a young lady that he already has met and would like to get to know better. Nothing is further from his thoughts than possibly taking on a secret mission and acting as a spy. Suddenly his world changes; a phone call from his boss advises that a man destined for a mission to Iran has taken ill and cannot go. Reluctantly Zac is assigned to go in the other agent’s place, in spite of the trepidation felt by his supervisor.

The plane he boards, destined for the far east, experiences engine trouble, cannot continue on its planned flight, and is forced to land at an airport in Iran. That is where Zac’s troubles start. He takes pictures of the area on his phone’s camera acting as a normal tourist would and is arrested and detained by the Iranian secret police. The why of this is part of the tale spun here.

Where Zac goes, how he does it, are fascinating views of a world in conflict in the Middle East. The research done in describing the action Zac becomes involved in is painstaking and succeeds in delivering a view of a zone that has been in conflict for many years. The statement “an all nighter” is apt but really doesn’t describe what a reader will find happening to him or her once the book is opened. I felt quite satisfied in arriving at an ending logical for this novel, but allowing enough questions to remain to logically expect another novel to follow this one shortly – can’t wait!

4/18 Paul Lane

WARNING LIGHT by David Ricciardi. Berkley (April 17, 2018).  ISBN 978-0399585739. 336p.

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Lelic presents us with a novel that looks at the question of how our childhood and family background affect our adult life.

Jack and Syd, boyfriend and girlfriend, find a house they like in London. It is large enough to satisfy their needs, although cluttered with the items belonging to the previous owner. The former owner had suddenly decided to move to Australia in order to be with a woman he met on line. His house then enters the market in a London suffering from a shortage of homes for sale. Jack and Syd submit an application, which much to their surprise, is accepted by the owner in spite of the couple bidding below the asking price.

The format used in telling the story is alternating sections narrated by one of the two. It is in this way that we find out that Jack is a product of a well-to-do family that is not accepting Syd.  On the other hand, Syd grew up in a home in which her father was a pathological bully, browbeating and stifling her until she moved away. Syd’s younger sister dies of a disease after Syd leaves home.

The initial set of incidents presented in the novel include mysterious footsteps and noises throughout the house leading to the possible existence of ghosts. In addition, Syd meets a young girl from the area who is suffering from an abusive father in a manner that reminds her of her own horrible childhood. Both circumstances contribute to the effectiveness of the book’s plot.

During their individual narratives, Lelic shows how both Syd and Jack react to events occurring when in the house. The move forward for both of them is very well handled and the changes in attitude of both of them are tied to their past. The novel is a fascinating study of past being prologue and character shaped during a period of great stress. The book is very well done and invites a good deal of thought about the meaning of the narrative. An engrossing novel not easily forgotten by the reader.

4/18 Paul Lane

THE NEW NEIGHBORS by Simon Lelic. Berkley (April 10, 2018).  ISBN 978-0451490452. 352p.