Review: Highly Original, Sharp Witted Thriller
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 08 3, 2013
This is a marvelous thriller with all the elements thriller readers crave - tough but likeable characters, gripping action, exotic locations. The plot is unusual, and several added twists which I can't elaborate on without spoiling it, make the book a real original.There is a blond hunk at the center of it all, Baxter Cruise - his name is so perfectly Santa Cruz, surfer dude. He's mildly bad, with his spamming racket, but redeems himself one hundred fold, and turns out to be a normal guy with feelings and a conscience and smarts on top of it all.FBI agent Claudia Seagal is tasked with solving the initial murder. As she systematically works through the evidence, which leads her closer and closer to Baxter, we realize that she is another one of the walking wounded. You can't not like her, and the stage is set for a couple of characters who might just put their ghosts to rest and get on with life, if only they can survive this roller-coaster ride of a deadly, crime-filled international adventure.The revealing window on the inner psyche of these two characters kept me reading even more than the action-filled plot. I found their mutual yearning to be utterly believable. This human touch makes a satisfying counterpoint to the many details of a technical nature that are part of the story, which serve to amplify the effect of the frightening imagination of the criminals.All in all, a whopper of a thriller - highly original, structurally impeccable, lovable characters, and sharp-witted dialogue all the way through. Thoroughly enjoyable!