Genre: Thriller
Description:
“A young girl’s life is torn apart when her parents are killed in the
NATO bombing of Belgrade, Serbia, during the 1999 Kosovo War. An embittered
Katarina Petrovic grows up with a hatred for Americans and becomes a willing
candidate for special training by Russian agents.
Alex Baker commanded an Air Force Office of Special Investigations
unit until an incident forced him to resign his military commission. Still in
his thirties, he finds a new career as the owner of a Manhattan-based travel
agency specializing in tour packages. When his father is assassinated, Alex is
promised to be kept in the loop regarding the investigation. The OSI, FBI, and
CIA begin a global hunt for a female assassin who appears to be targeting
American pilots involved in the Belgrade bombing.
Alex is suddenly thrust into the middle of the investigation when
events suggest he could also be on the assassin’s kill list. Is the woman
making threatening phone calls the one who murdered his father? Or is she the
alluring Dee Norton he meets supposedly by chance? Piece by piece, the mystery
is unraveled, culminating in a thrilling conclusion on the island of Key West.”
Author:
“After graduating from the University of Vermont College of Medicine,
John L. DeBoer, M.D., F.A.C.S. completed his surgical training in the U.S. Army
and then spent three years in the Medical Corps as a general surgeon. Thirty
years of private practice later, he retired to begin a new career as a writer.
When not creating new plot lines for his novels, Dr. DeBoer pursues his
interests in cooking, the cinema, and the amazing cosmos. He’s an avid tennis
player, and his yet-to-be-fulfilled goal is to achieve a level of mediocrity in
the frustrating game of golf. The father of two grown sons, he lives with his
wife in North Carolina.”
For more, visit Mr DeBoer’s website.
Appraisal:
In the first chapter a young girl, Katrina, loses both her parents and
is lucky to dodge death herself as NATO forces, primarily American, bomb the
area of Serbia where she lives. She didn’t understand why it was happening, but
was very aware of who was doing it. When that chapter ended, I commented to
myself that in her place I’d have an extreme hate for Americans. It turns out I
was right although her hate was more focused, for the most part aiming her
desire for revenge at people actually involved in the attacks on her town.
When the killings start happening, just which character is this girl,
now grown up, isn’t apparent to the reader. Multiple law enforcement agencies,
including the FBI and even the CIA get involved. The primary protagonist, Alex
Baker, gets drawn in quickly when his father who was the commander of the
bombing mission years earlier is killed and there is a fear that Alex might be
a target as well. Although not acting in an official capacity, Alex finds
himself acting as a detective, trying to put the pieces together and stop the
deaths. Figuring out what is happening, who potential victims might be, and how
to catch the culprits keeps Alex guessing and the reader trying to anticipate
the answers along with him, right up to the end. An intensive and entertaining
read that I enjoyed very much.
Buy now
from: Amazon US Amazon UK
FYI:
Some adult language.
Format/Typo
Issues:
My review is based on a pre-publication version, so I can’t gauge the
final product in this area.
Rating: *****
Five Stars
Reviewed
by: BigAl
Approximate word count: 70-75,000 words
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