Review: Superman Meets Superwoman
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 12 26, 2013
"The Merchant of Death" by Cliff Happy is a really good story. Mind you, it's not literature, but it's a tightly written, engaging, and very modern day "good guys hunt and kill the bad guys" tale.The story revolves around Mr. Happy's clever creation: a rogue self-appointed small group of assassins who take out terrorists. They're known as "Friends From Damascus." In this episode of their always dangerous existence, the rock-climber-womanizer Wolfgang teams up with the former Israeli with-a-bullet-lodged-in-her-head assassin Eve. They form a 2-person team chasing an arms dealer who is selling weapons capable of taking down airliners to terrorist groups. Later they join with all Wolfgang's group of "Friends" to finish off the project in Pakistan. While the Wolfgang-Eve eventual and predictable love story is a little bit sappy, the pair are nearly invincible.Their adventure takes them to Berlin and Istanbul. The settings are suitably exotic and their near misses are classic super-hero stuff. Their escape from Berlin, the chaos they create in Istanbul train station, their rescue by the whole "Friends" team, and finally the assault on a mountain mesa in Pakistan (with the whole team) are exciting, if a little far-fetched. But the reader need not suspend disbelief very often. It's just a fun, fast-paced modern story set in the intrigue and fearsomeness of the terrorist world and those who supply weapons of destruction to them - an American no less. Actually, even if a movie is eventually made of this story, I think the printed word will win out over the movie.Mr. Happy is a very good writer, seldom making errors in plot development or characterization. It's almost a page-turner at times. Hard to put down; easy to pick up, it's a fine read for those who like this genre.A clear 4.4 on Amazon's scale.