This novel is a fantastic start to a new series, a lean and mean thriller featuring protagonist Jonathan “Jad” Bel, a former master sergeant in the U.S. Army’s Delta Force counterterrorism unit and now employed as a lead undercover security officer at an amusement park. Rumour has it terrorists with nuclear capability are plotting to target Wilsonville, a theme park in Southern California similar to Disneyland.
The story is tight, the action is well written, fast paced and it all takes place in a single day. The author has created another impressing line of riveting and sympathetic action heroes and villains and in the first chapters he brings us up to speed on each one of their personalities, their skills and their objectives in life.
The action kicks into high gear when a group of well-trained, highly motivated terrorists infiltrate the park and take as many hostages as possible including Jad’s family who happen to be in attendance. After sealing off all escape routes, they demand all terrorists be released from custody and if their objectives are not met they want the world to witness the power and hatred they have against fellow man. A bloodbath on global TV is sure to follow…..
When the fireworks start we see how Jad, with his military wits and intense training, plays with the minds of the terrorists and how he processes threat by threat. On the other side, the terrorists have a seemingly endless list of gruesome counter tactics; they are so well prepared they even have a sleeper agent, Gabriel feeding them with information.
Mr. Rucka’s attention to details is as well developed as his imagination. The story is a little farfetched but cram packed with a lot of action that will please some but not all. The novel ends with Jad a hero on his way to recovery, ready to kick ass wherever he is needed.
The title, an acronym, stands for the German phrase Himmlers Hirn heisst Heydrich (“Himmler’s brain is called Heydrich”) The book focuses on Operation Anthropoid, a mission run by Czech partisan fighters Jozef Gabcik and Jan Kubis in collaboration with the British to assassinate Heydrich.
This highly original piece of work blurs the line between countless genres: historical fiction, thriller, biography, psychological and philosophical drama and memoir. The subject presents an emotional insight and an interesting view into events that actually took place. This is a very powerful story and all through the novel we live the author’s anguish and inner struggle he has presenting this gruesome period without dwelling on the gore of it all. France awarded him the prestigious prix Goncout du premier roman in 2010 for this masterpiece.
Mr. Binet tells us the story of Reinhard Heydrich, "the butcher of Prague," the Nazi official who first devised the road map leading to the extermination of millions of Jewish citizens and anyone who got in the way of the Third Reich. There are many pages dedicated to Heydrich’s carefully planned career and his rise through the Nazi ranks. Then the novel goes on to tell us about two assassins who were sent on a mission to eliminate Heydrich by the head of the Czechoslovakian government who was in exile in London at the time. The author takes us through the planning and the execution of the mission in which the assassins where parachuted at night into the hot zone where they were aided by the local resistance networks.
Mr. Binet carefully lays out the events, slowly builds up the tension and paints a vivid picture of what the characters see and how they handle the assassination attempt. The heat of the moment is turned up a notch when bullets and grenades start to fly and the two assassins eventually find themselves trapped in the basement crypt of a church with the Nazis swarming around trying to flush them out.
This novel has an original style, composed of 257 very short chapters in which the author details his thoughts and his research into the events. The narrative is melancholic, engaging and the technique in which it is transmitted is simple, clever and thought provoking. The story is steady paced with plenty of peak moments that held my interest from cover to cover.
Book 15, in Inspector Lynley series
After a disappointing read in “What came before He Shot Her” which centered around the life of Helen’s killer and left out our beloved protagonist , I was pleased to see his return in “Careless in Red”.
The story picks up several weeks after Helen’s death. Lynley overwhelmed by the death of his wife and his unborn child begins a solo walking tour of the Cornish coast. After several weeks wondering and looking like a homeless bum he stumbles across a dead body who appears to have fallen off a cliff while rock-climbing. With no one else in sight he seeks help from Daidre Trahir, a solitary woman who owns a cottage nearby.
As the story goes on, Lynley and Daidre develop a friendship, one born of mutual pain, tragedies they are both trying to put behind them. The pacing is very leisurely, with oodles of colourful pages describing the upcoming tourist season and the activities of a resort area including the personal side of a large cast of characters.
The story does pick up when we get into the nitty-gritty details of the rock-climber’s fate and Lynley’s involvement, his questions and theories raise alarm bells. Although Bea Hannaford is in charge of the investigation, she realises Scotland Yard has to be notified, guess who shows up, Barbara Havers, Lynley’s long-time colleague. The plotting does eventually burst to life with Lynley digging up old history and conducting interviews. All along Lynley struggles with his personal loss but he eventually realises Scotland Yard is his second love.
If you don’t mind Ms. George long winded style of writing you will probably enjoy this one. The plotting has many red herrings to stretch the suspense and keep you captivated from front to back. The cast of characters is very large, each one has their own peculiarity and I found it a mental challenge keeping track of them all. The core of the plot is love and revenge and great detail goes into describing how cunning and manipulative the perpetrator was.
