Book Review: The Complex by Donald W. Tucker

United States Secret Service agent Wesley Charles is furious when his racist boss forces him to attend a seminar at the new law enforcement complex in Dallas. Wes knows the seminar is a monumental waste of his time; he belongs on the Chicago streets, doing what he does best, which is busting counterfeiters. The presence of Charles old friend Secret Service agent Louis Boron, Seattle cop James Allen, and beautiful DEA agent Wendy Weissman provide a welcome distraction from the mind-numbing classes. The four inadvertently discover that something menacing is lurking behind The Complex's facade of inter-agency cooperation. When their investigations reveal a conspiracy that threatens the very fabric of American democracy, they find themselves up against a powerful, unknown enemy- and running for their lives. The explosion came in the middle of the night, igniting the gas line, engulfing the little house in flames and tossing its occupants onto the floor. Wes choked on the smoke and felt for his piece. He tucked it into the waistband of his sweats, crawled to the bathroom and grabbed a towel from the rack. Somehow, the water was still running. He soaked himself and the towel in the tub thoroughly before attempting to break through the wall of smoke that had enveloped the master bedroom. He could hear Talbot's screams amid the crackling of the flames and the tinkling of glass. And he could hear Gordon calling his name from the direction of the kitchen."Gordon," he shouted, "Can you hear me?"

This book was right up my dad's alley, and since he's retired and reads even more than I do, I gave it to him to read first.  He gave me his opinion when he was finished, so I've written up his review.

The Complex was a well-written, fast-moving novel about the security establishment of the United States.  However, the plot was severely demeaned by the author's interjection of his own racial prejudice. It seems he feels that all white security agents are against the black ones. The story would have been much better served by allowing the plot and characters to expose any racial injustice in the security system rather than coming from the author.

The actual plot was good, it keeps the reader guessing what's going to happen until the end.  The twists weren't predictable, which made for an entertaining read.

 

Ralph gives this book 3 Bookworms!

Paperback:  280 pages

Publisher:  Dog Ear Publishing, LLC (August 23, 2011)

ISBN-10:  1457504707

ISBN-13: 978-1457504709

Book Review: Open Source by M.M. Frick

 

- In the dead of night, on the dark waters of the Baltic Sea, a cargo ship is hijacked.
- In the Atlantic Ocean, a small flotilla of Russian warships is dispatched to re-take her.
- In a quiet tavern in Savannah, Georgia, an off-work vending route driver watches a thirty-second news report of the incidents.

"What if...?" That was what Casey Shenk thought when he heard about the hijacking of the MV Baltic Venture. A simple diversionary blog posting that infers an illegal arms sale is involved comes too close to the truth for some, who would rather the speculation stop there.

When anonymous threats turn deadly, Casey looks to the only other person who believes his theory; Susan Williams, an analyst for the private geopolitical consulting firm Intelligence Watch Group. With Susan's help, Casey digs deeper and discovers something much bigger that involves elements at the highest levels of governments on three continents.

Casey and Susan soon find themselves in the crosshairs and at the center of a complicated plot to shape world politics that will affect the future of the Middle East and the world forever

This novel was packed with excitement from beginning to end.  International intrigue, spies, murders, assassins, and a vending machine operator!  Who knew these would mesh into such a dramatic plot?

The only halfway negative thing I can think of is there were just so many characters, I had trouble keeping up with everyone.  But there had to be that many to fulfill the whole storyline.  It was my fault if I couldn't keep up with everyone!  M.M. Frick did an excellent job with these characters, making them come to life - even the smaller background ones who only showed up once or twice.  I could feel who these people were and what motivated them.

The action moves quickly and surprises were around every corner....errrm page turn.  I kept trying to find a double agent - oh he's really a bad guy... no he is!  I won't tell you if I was right or wrong, but it's a great book to read.  Would make an awesome movie as well!

*Disclaimer:  I received this book free from the author.  I was not required to write a positive review.

I give this book 4 Bookworms.

Paperback:  340 pages

Publisher:  CreateSpace (July 30, 2010)

ISBN-10:  1453719989

ISBN-13:  978-1453719985