Book #1, in the Tom Dugan Thrillers series
Not having spent time in the marine industry and one who is by far not fond on being captive in a tin can of any size, thrillers involving ships and its operations are not my favorite topics. Having said this, the plot will nevertheless capture the imagination of ship geeks….this techno-thriller with all the juice and characters hop-scotching through exotic locales will surely please the majority of readers.
The central character is Tom Dugan, a skilled professional who travels the world as an operating engineer on ships, he is one the good guys. As for the bad guys they are many of them most are motivated by religious fanaticism and some simply by greed. They are all sadistic as we would expect them to be. “Deadly Straits”, is a fast paced and multilayered plot that travels from Singapore, Malaysia, London , Malacca, Panama, Chechnya, Teheran, Virginia. 9/11 told us it is possible to used aircraft as flying bombs, “Deadly Straits”, suggest that huge tankers can be also used as weapons….Some said this plot is entirely possible and realistic….terrorists gaining control of loaded tankers and using them as weapons in straits to block flow of traffic. This story tells a scary account on how they may attempt this…..
This is one convoluted story very I had a hard time keeping focus on. Following the many characters with strange names was a challenge and keeping track of who is a good guy and who is a bad guy was even more. Mr. McDermott has definitely deployed his knowledge of ships and navigation with the many details about manoeuvering and detonating supertankers. Maybe he did a too good job doing so. The many threads that bounce from storyline to storyline make this book long and complex and not all that interesting… I struggled to keep up till the end …
A Hunter Rayne Highway Mystery Sketches
I didn’t realize this was a series of three very short stories 21 pages in all, sketches introducing the author’s main character and two supporting players in the main series “Hunter Rayne Highway Mysteries”. I like the main series so when I saw “White Liners” I just picked it up but what a disappointment when I noticed what this book really was. I don’t really know why authors spend time doing this kind of promotion….it was a freebie at the time, thank goodness.
Each stories is way too short to have time getting into the swig of it, to get hooked and be captivated. As soon as you open the story it is already finished….so what is the point……
Pass on this one, but give the full novels a chance they are well-worth it. I read a few and have enjoyed them immensely
Book #1, in the Ellie Foreman mystery
This mystery is a blend of politics, history and suspense. It begins with an exchange between two men in Prague in 1944 and the story proceeds with the ramification to contemporary Chicago.
The main character is Ellie Foreman, a documentary filmmaker, who becomes an amateur sleuth when an old Jewish man she did not know dies and her address was found among his belongings. A string of murders and attempted murder follow and inquisitive Ellie pokes her nose into the mystery that will lead to links between Nazi war crimes and a present day politician running for office.
This debut story is very entertaining, a clever mystery puzzle that is somewhat funny. Both the multi-generational historical mystery and the political one are well- done. The author is good at putting clues and red herrings to intrigue us and to keep us on the edge of our seat, guessing and of course turning pages. The action is interesting and not overly-done: no shoot out and no graphic murders…smooth sailing….The narration and dialogue are in the everyday language. The romance needed a stronger push to get going and finally the rare sex scenes lacked enthusiasm….quite vanilla….maybe with time things will get hot… I like Ellie, she is likeable, a single mother with a deadbeat ex-husband, doing her best and she is surely entertaining….This cozy mystery is a fast read that nicely wraps up at the end.
