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Avg. Rating: 4
A story with several messages
There is more to this story than a thriller. But, before getting into this, I commend the authors for accuracy. Spreading biological agents into a Western population is difficult. Pandemics only occur when environmental conditions are right. Most bio-agents have a very short life once released into the atmosphere. Anthrax is the exception to this rule. I especially enjoyed the story because it is factual. The real bio-agent threat is crop diseases: wheat and rice rust. Hoof and mouth disease for cattle is next.
There are several subtle messages buried in the story. Our self induced vulnerability--no profiling--in order to be politically correct is one. Another is our insane fear of offending Muslims. Today, just as portrayed in the story, the U.S. can't send troops into the tribal regions of Pakistan to hunt down and kill the Taliban and al-Qaeda personnel.
In the story, the government hides all information pertaining to the Marburg attack. Instead of releasing all of the gory details and scaring the pants off our complacent citizens, the government covers up the facts to maintain the notion that we are safe from attack. Unfortunately, this is probably what would really happen. As the author's say in their Author's Note, "The fact that no overt act of terrorism has occurred since 9-11 must be attributed at lease in part to a great deal of good luck. Of course, that situation could change tomorrow morning. And some morning, it will" In this they are correct. I am afraid we will not come to our senses until we suffer an attack many times worse than 9-11.
Strategic Solutions, Inc., is a fictional Professional Military Corporation, hired by the government to do what the CIA and military should be doing, but can't because of our obsession with political correctness. Unpleasant things have to be done when at war, who does them only matters from a perception point of view. The story does a splendid job of pointing this out.
Lee Boyland, author of the first two books of the Clash-of-Civilization trilogy, the story of the next terrible attack: The Rings of Allah and Behold, an Ashen Horse.
Strangely flat
This tale of bioterrorism and cloak and dagger conflict begins well enough, and establishes the scene and the dangers competently enough, but then falls on a couple of logical inconsistencies. The terrorist network is just too competent to be believable, and there is no reason to use SSI operatives once the action leaves Pakistan.
The mercenary company SSI is hired to investigate and kick in doors in Pakistan to find the terrorists during a period of tension between the US and Pakistan governments. A sensible premise, yet the interaction between SSI and the Pakistan military is smoother than I would believe possible during an outright love-fest between our two countries.
The world-wide terrorist network is so competent, and so universally supported by muslims everywhere, that it can instantly locate an imam in any city willing to knowingly hire hit men or give a bioterrorist a ride to his target in his personal mercedes. This gives jihadis too much credit and at the same time insults every muslim in this country. Providing hospitality to travelers is one thing, but I just don't buy the willing participation the enemy got from Americans in this book.
Then, after the action headed back to the US, I didn't understand why the problem of tracking the bioweapon didn't move from SSI to the full force of the US government. Why sweep anything under a rug at that point? Scream the facts to the ends of the Earth and get the willing cooperation of every government the bioweapons passed through. Marburg would kill their populations as readily as Americans, so why not give them the information they'd need to defend themselves?
The book just doesn't ring true to me.
I did like the military take on recent US politics, though. Tailhook really was a disgrace. I'll give it an extra star just for that.
Intelligent writing; realistic story
I haven't read Coyle before, but I've read several of Tillman's aviation books. His trademark is meticulous research to get the technical stuff right. There is no nonsense about silencers and safeties on revolvers, no foolishness about medical procedures. If Tillman writes that this is the way a Hind helicopter works, then that's how it works. If he says this is how Marburg disease is spread, you can trust him. As a former drum corps player, I can verify that he even got that little part right! Admirable attention to detail. The male characters seem like action heroes, but in fact, the guys in this business really are action heroes. I, too, wish the female protagonist had been merely good at her job; it was not necessary for her to be a hot babe. (For example, was the Derringer character handsome or ugly? We don't know, or need to, because it doesn't matter to the story.) OTOH, there is no ridiculous Penthouse letters-type sex "to help sell the book." (Tom Clancy's gratuitous sex scenes are so embarrassingly awkward, you have to wonder if he's ever been on a second date!) The plot is plausible and clever. The dialogue (usually) rings realistic. One thing I really appreciate is that luck plays a big part in the plot, as it does in real combat. Sometimes the good guys lose and the bad guys win. That helps sustain the suspense. Right up until the end of the book, you still think there is a possibility that the good guys might lose. (It's a book -- the good guys are going to win, right? But... Better keep reading!) I presume Coyle's job was developing the story line. Whatever role each of the authors played, the collaboration works. This book is a breath of fresh air for the genre -- actual intelligent story-telling, instead of just brainless shoot-em-up drivel. Bravo!
Realistic plot but too many stereotypes
Like the other reviewers I found the plot realistic. Using Professional Military Corporations, PMC's, seems to be the new thing.
However I found the characters to be too stereotypic. The lead female character was a world renowned doctor from England (hard to believe no US doctor was qualified), a world class rock climber, a runner, etc. After never having fired a gun she was judged proficient after only 15 minutes. And of course she made Miss America look like a dog. Couldn't we just once have a female who is not perfect or would that not be PC. The rest of the team was made up of the usual jokers, caring medics and ex-Marine gunnys and so on.
My other criticism was predictability. You knew ahead of time when the team was heading into an ambush, which they managed to do quite often. If I were running the place I'd think about firing the team leaders who were out planned throughout the entire book. I'd even think of firing the president of the corporation, e.g., a rent-a-cop to guard a building whose business often included killing people and it never crosses anyone's mind they may want to get even. You often say things to yourself like, "the receptionist is history" and you're right. You want to scream to the female lead as she bends over the wounded bad guy to hear his whispers, "you putz don't get near him". Ditto for the border scene where you know five pages in advance what is going to happen and it makes you just want to tell these people what idiots they really are and what to do. They never listen.
Overall realistic plot, but not a unique one. Characters are just too stereotyped.
A dangerous enemy, Those willing to fight them.
An enemy so evil they are willing to infect their own people with a deadly virus and send them out as weapons against the infidel. How does a nation faced with dwindling resources, a lack of political will and concensous as to the right thing to do fight such an enemy?
In steps the a Professional Military Contractor, Mike Derringer and the staff of Stratigic Solutions, Inc. See how Derringer's company of experienced men and woman, soldiers of fortune all, move in the nether world of the war on terrorism to meet and stop a threat that is beyond politics, or social correctness. Able and willing to go where armies, and government can't, SSI moves to protect a great nation from it's tied hands. Fact or fiction? Read Coyle and Tillman's work, then you decide.
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