Al Nye The Lawyer Guy

Taken

By Robert Crais

G. P. Putnam’s Sons

$26.95, hard cover, 341 pages, 978-0-399-15827-8 (2012)

Talk about an enjoyable read. This novel has it all: Elvis Cole and Joe Pike, innocent young adults, a determined parent, evil men and women with no sense of morality, and bajadores – ruthless bandits who prey on other bandits. Mix them all together with drugs, weapons, the buying and selling of victims, and brutal murder and you have the ingredients for compelling novel.

Add the painstaking detective work, the genuine humanity, the nerve-racking tension, the thrilling action, and unbelievable suspense that only a talented writer like Robert Crais can bring to this novel and you have a thriller that you won’t soon forget.

Taken is the fifteenth Elvis Cole and Joe Pike novel and it’s the first to feature them both equally. While I’ve enjoyed the last two books that had Joe Pike in the starring role, this novel ratchets up the tension by having Cole lead early and Pike take over in the second half.

The story centers on a young Latina and her Anglo boyfriend who are kidnapped by bandits along the Mexican border. These criminals are the worst of the worst – preying on other criminals figuring they can’t or won’t go to the police. This novel centers on bajadores who steal immigrants bound for the United States. This people kidnapping business is a rampant but often ignored problem along the Mexican border.

The mother of the kidnapped woman hires Elvis Cole to rescue her daughter. Cole soon discovers what has happened to her and he enters into a risky arrangement with a Korean organized criminal.  It’s a desperate move and Cole knows it.

“I was now in business with a Korean gang known for extortion, brutality, and violence, and about to put  my trust into a drug cartel known for torture and mass murder. I told myself it was worth it. I told myself  I had no choice. I lied to myself, and knew I was lying, but chose to believe the lies.”

When the plan doesn't work out, Cole is seized by the bajadores and Pike must come to his rescue. With backup from fellow mercenary Jon Stone, Pike follows the trail left by his captors and holds nothing back from search for his best friend. The feds are also on the hunt for Cole and Pike must find him first before the federal agents make mistakes that could blow Cole’s cover – and his life.

This is vintage Robert Crais weaving one of the most suspenseful thrillers I’ve read in a long time. This is a book you’ll want to savor but if you’re like me, the tension will build so quickly that you’ll be unable to put it down. I finished it in a weekend. With fewer things to do, I’d have been done the same day.

Buy it on Amazon here.

Soft Target

By Stephen Hunter

Simon & Schuster

$26.99, hard cover, 256 pages, 978-1-2019-3870-0 (2011)

Stephen Hunter is one of my favorite authors. I’ve read practically everything he’s written. From the fabulous Time to Hunt, Point of Impact, and Dirty White Boys, to the mediocre Night of Thunder and The 47^th Samurai, I’ve kept coming back for more. And who can blame me? Bob Lee Swagger, a/k/a Bob the Nailer, is a fascinating, no-holds-barred lead character that takes over a story the same way a fine actor mesmerizes on the screen.

Early in his writing career, Hunter had compelling writing with more action and suspense in a single chapter than many novels had in the entire story. Unfortunately, his more recent work has been hit or miss. So with a fair amount of trepidation, I dug into his latest novel: Soft Target.

What a disappointment.

Don’t get me wrong. The book isn’t horrible – in fact certain sections were quite good. But the difficulty in reading a new book from Hunter is that having read his previous works, I know that he’s a fabulous writer. And he’s certainly capable of much better than this. (It’s like having an A student come home with a paper in which he’s gotten a B-. It’s not that the grade is horrible – it’s just so much less than you know the student is capable of doing.)

The other problem is that the bad guys just aren’t talented enough. The story centers on a dozen terrorists taking over a thinly disguised Mall of America on Black Friday – the huge shopping day after Thanksgiving. Ray Cruz, the hero in Dead Zero, (and Swagger’s illegitimate son, for those who are keeping track), just happens to be in the mall when the action starts.

After the terrorists kill lots of folks and herd the remaining 1000 or so shoppers to the center of the complex, Cruz and a few other shoppers manage to escape. Soon Cruz takes down one of the terrorists and is armed. From then on, it’s just a straight shooter with little character development or excitement.

One of the problems is the bad guys just aren’t all that talented. Except for one, the terrorists are all young and inexperienced. To Cruz, they’re fish in a barrel. And the brain behind the terrorist plot is a villain too farfetched to be remotely believable.

This is Die Hard at the mall. Literally.

Buy it on Amazon here.

The Affair

By Lee Child

Delacourt Press

$28.00, hard cover, 405 pages, 978-0-385-34432-6 (2011)

This is a thrilling read about Jack Reacher when he was still a military cop and (sort of) following orders. The story centers on a murder in Mississippi in the year 1997. A woman is dead (and others soon follow) and it appears that a soldier at a nearby military base is responsible. But that soldier has a powerful senator for a father and favors are called in.

Reacher is ordered undercover in the town to find out what is going on and to keep the local police in line. Reacher is supposed to just assess the situation and not make waves – but this wouldn’t be much of a story if Reacher backed off from finding the truth. So even though he is ordered to be a good soldier, Reacher works to find out the truth no matter where it leads.

He soon links up with the local sheriff, Elizabeth Deveraux, a former military cop who just happens to be drop dead gorgeous (naturally). Soon Reacher is working closely, very closely, with Deveraux. But other forces are at work and Deveraux may be more than she appears to be. As usual, Reacher needs to find the truth and to hell with anyone who gets in his way.

This is vintage Jack Reacher who plows headlong into a full investigation of the underbelly of this small town, its sheriff, and those in the military and politics who want these crimes covered up and hidden. Despite his orders, Reacher only knows one way: straight ahead. And pity anyone who gets in his way.  

Buy it on Amazon here.

More Mini Reviews

Power Down

By Ben Coes

St. Martin’s Press

$24.99, hard cover, 449 pages, 978-0-312-58074-2 (2010)

This is a terrific first novel by Coes who worked at the White House as a spec writer for former President Ronald Reagan. He was also the campaign manager for Mitt Romney’s 2002 gubernatorial campaign. This action-packed novel reminds me of a Mission Impossible movie – full of impressive locations and heart pounding adventures. 

The book begins with a hydroelectric dam being blown up and one of the world’s largest offshore oil field destroyed by terrorists. Though hundreds die, the crew chief of the oil platform, Dewey Andrews, survives and even manages to kill the terrorist leading the attack. Andrews, a former Army Ranger and Delta, (think an older Tom Cruise), vows to find the men behind the attack and a high stakes cat-and-mouse game begins.

The action begins in Columbia where Dewey barely escapes with his life. Soon other targets are destroyed – including a major port in California. Dewey is from Maine and when the FBI gets involved, it becomes clear that Bath Iron Works is also in the terrorist’s sights.

This is a fabulous thriller that moves at a relentless pace – complete with absorbing characters, a flawed but likable hero, an all-too-believable storyline, and edge of your seat suspense.  I can’t wait to read this talented writer’s next novel.

Buy it on Amazon here.

 

Micro

By Michael Crichton and Richard Preston

HarperCollins

$28.99, hard cover, 429 pages, 978-0-06-202002-8 (2011)

At the time of his death in 2008, Crichton had written a substantial portion of this novel. Richard Preston, a bestselling author in his own right, was chosen to finish the manuscript. The novel is about groundbreaking technology that allows the shrinking of objects and even people to explore the forests of Oahu, Hawaii in search of new drugs and applications for humanity. Preston does a great job of capturing the painstaking technical details of micro life – complete with all its wonders and dangers.

What starts out as a recruiting expedition by seven graduate students at Cambridge, Massachusetts soon evolves into survival on a micro scale – with this unlikely band of young people shrunk to a size where facing a wasp or an army of ants is a life-or-death situation.

The students face not only natural enemies – but full-sized humans who are out to kill them before they can report how this technology is being used for destructive purposes.

Micro was an entertaining read. But I kept thinking about the novel that Crichton is known for: Jurassic Park. No offense, but after the thrill-ride of being chased by dinosaurs, it’s kind of tough to get all worked up about being stalked by insects.

Buy it on Amazon here.

The Pack

By Jason Starr

Ace Books

$25.95, hard cover, 341 pages, 978-0-441-02008-9 (2011)

I’ve reviewed books recently about vampires and zombies, so I thought I’d try for a trifecta by reading a novel featuring another type of creature common to movie-going audiences: the werewolf. The Pack is about Simon Burns, a senior account manager who is unceremoniously fired from his job at a New York City advertising agency.

He is furious with his boss for letting him go, but after talking things over with his wife, he decides to become a stay-at-home dad for his young son. He soon meets a trio of other dads at a playground and immediately notices how bonded they are, how physically fit and confident they are. When he’s asked to meet them for a guy’s night out, he immediately accepts.

But that night turns into something far more than what he had imagined. He blacks out and wakes up in the woods in New Jersey. Upon getting home, he finds out that the boss he was angry at for firing him has been murdered – killed by a wolf.

Soon Simon is experiencing disquieting changes in his body, his perceptions, and his outlook on life. He suspects what has happened to him, but refuses to believe it. The evidence is soon overwhelming and Simon must use all of his new-found powers to just stay alive.

This is a clever, suspenseful novel that treats the werewolf genre with sparkling originality of thought. It grips you right from the beginning and keeps you turning the pages. Though there were some plot missteps – especially at the end – it was a ride worth taking.

Buy it on Amazon here.