Review: 4 1/2 Stars
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 12 7, 2009
Plot/Storyline: 3 3/4 StarsWith an extremely original plot, the reader is taken on a trip with many twists and turns. This is not your typical terrorist or serial killer book. Instead, it is a combination of both.Told mainly from the viewpoints of Major Lane, FBI Agent Catherine, and the `bomb planter,' the reader gets a panoramic view of the events. There are several other portions told from the viewpoints of some of the victims with some background thrown in for empathy with even the smallest of character parts.The only downfall was all of the extraneous scenes. I had to wade through an entire chapter of Catherine going home and getting into her hot tub, alone. I had to sift through another chapter of Lane visiting a mall; I tried to find some relevance, but failed. There was even an entire thread that followed a college student, who was only on the peripheral of the investigation.A good thirty percent of this novel should have been left in the "Recycling Bin" on the author's computer. Yes, it would have been much shorter, but the result would be a tightly written thriller.I understood the motive of the bad guy. However, I do feel it would have been made more clear if a certain event in his daughter's life had happened elsewhere. If this sounds cryptic, then I have done my job of not including spoilers.It was very obvious that some detailed research went into the writing of this novel. That made for some interesting, and even somewhat educational reading. Yes, I accidentally learned some things.Character Development: 4 1/4 StarsMajor Lane was a strong character. To depict him with a drug addiction was terrific, but to have it also entertwine so well with the plot was a stroke of genius. I would love to see a new thriller with Lane as an ongoing character.Catherine was also a well-developed character. She was a terrific foil for Lane, providing for not only an interesting love interest, but also how difficult being a female FBI agent must be.Although much of the book was told from the bad guy's viewpoint, his character development was still weak. As I mentioned above, a change in location of an event in his daughter's life would definitely have made his motive more believable, and even could have evoked more sympathy with the reader. As it stood, I just couldn't empathize with him.Writing Style: 4 3/4 StarsThe writing style only suffered on one point. For some reason, in several places, the author chose to use words in all caps for emphasis. I would be reading along, when all of the sudden, there would be a BIG BOOM. This was just distracting to the reading process.Otherwise, the writing was outstanding. The descriptions, though verbose at times, were vivid. The dialogue was realistic with good voice. The sentence structuring was complex, yet easy to read.Editing/Formatting: 5 StarsBoth were of professional quality.Rating: PG-13 for Violence and Drug Use