Shadow of the Corps - James Dupont

My review of Shadow of the Corps by James Dupont first appeared in Shelf Awareness for Readers. I am re-posting it here with their permission.

First line: "The yellow cab rolled to a stop just after 4:00 p.m."

Told in alternating past and present tense, Shadow of the Corps is an exciting debut legal thriller.

Former JAG attorney Dale Riley is down on his luck. Unemployed, living back at home with Mom and Dad while trying to keep his marriage together and raise his infant son, a newspaper article and a correlating obituary catch his attention one winter morning. A fellow JAG officer was shot dead while eating dinner at home with his family. The officer was opposing counsel in the case that ended Riley’s military career. And it isn’t long before the hired hit man comes after Riley.

Meanwhile, Riley’s old friend from the Marines, Eric Scholl is an FBI agent investigating a serial murder case with victims across the country. Their common denominators? The initials “S F” cut into their stomachs and a Bible passage circled in blood covering their faces.

As the two separate cases move toward a head-on collision with no survivors, James Dupont ramps up the suspense with flashbacks to the single fiber connecting them, a military murder trial.

Shadow of the Corps maintains a heart-pounding adrenalin level, propelling the reader through the story while blocking out everything else. The action and intrigue are top-notch. The plot twists are well constructed, and Dupont plays fair with his readers--no pulled-out-of-a-hat solutions magically appearing.

While some mechanical errors common to a debut exist, like repetition that should probably have been edited out, this is still a stellar start to the former Marine’s fiction writing career. Oorah!

Shadow of the Corps is available in hardcover (ISBN: 9781605984629) from Pegasus Crime.

The Aden Effect - Claude Berube

My review of The Aden Effect first appeared in Shelf Awareness for Readers. It is appearing here with their permission. I thought I had already posted this one, so I apologize for the delay, it came out in October and I thoroughly enjoyed it. When I was checking back, I discovered I had not posted it yet. So I hope you enjoy!

First line: "The first rocket-propelled grenade hit the supertanker's bow twenty feet above the waterline."

When the U.S. Ambassador to Yemen, C.J. Sumner, runs into nothing but silence in her attempts to build relationships with Yemen leaders, she uses her influence to recall Connor Stark to active military duty--assigned to the Yemen Embassy. Sumner hopes Stark’s connections to people in high places will help her break down the walls of silence before Washington pulls her out of her position.

Meanwhile, U.S. diplomatic security agent Damien Golzari finds himself in Yemen while following a lead investigating the death of a State Department official’s college-aged son. When Golzari and Stark’s paths cross conflict erupts. Sumner has to convince the two head-strong men that they are on the same side and need to work together. With the lives of hundreds of innocent people at stake, the alliance becomes vital, but can they achieve it and will it be enough?

Heaped in political conspiracy, military intrigue and international conflict, Claude Berube’s debut novel leaves a lasting impression on its readers. Pirates, drug dealers, corrupt politicians and inept military leaders all contribute to a complex plot ripe with global issues and American fears.

Berube’s protagonist pair is an unlikely match. But, the straight-laced, impeccably dressed Golzari exudes as much arrogance as the non-traditional, informal Stark. And yet readers will find it difficult to dislike either man.

The antagonists of the novel are easier to dislike, but Berube is as respectful with them as his protagonists. Smart, determined and realistic, they make the novel’s action chillingly believable.

Fans of political thrillers, international espionage or military crime should not let this gem fly under the radar.

The Aden Effect is available in hardcover (ISBN: 9781612511092) from the US Navel Institute Press.

SILENT ENEMY - Thomas Young

If you missed it in Shelf Awareness last week, I'm posting my review of SILENT ENEMY here with permission from the nice folks at Shelf Awareness. If you aren't receiving Shelf Awareness, be sure to sign up. I have a button in the column on the right. Signing up even gets you entered to win free books. In the mean time, here's SILENT ENEMY by Thomas Young!

First line: "The world went away, and every part of her hurt."

Army Sergeant Major Sophia Gold and Air Force Major Michael Parson are reunited in Thomas Young’s second novel when a bomb destroys the Afghan National Police central training facility in Kabul. Gold’s helping to run the literacy program and sustains minor injuries in the blast. However, many of her students are badly injured and she’s going to accompany them to Germany, the closest hospital facility large enough to handle the number of patients. Parson is called on to fly the patients to Germany, which isn’t an issue until a bomb is discovered aboard the air craft.

Readers unfamiliar with Young’s first novel, THE MULLAH’S STORM, will have no problems following along with the events of SILENT ENEMY. The pace is quick, due in large part to the constant action of the plot combined with well-timed twists.

Young treats the array of characters and cultures with dignity avoiding any hidden agendas in his themes. Some readers may find the technical elements of the air craft piloting a bit daunting, but they play a minor role in the overall story.

Young’s experience as an Air National Guardsman serving in the Middle East works to heighten the authenticity in this exciting military thriller. I’d recommend not reading it on the plane to your vacation destination. Wait until you’ve hit the beach.

SILENT ENEMY is available from Putnam in hardcover (ISBN: 9780399157790) and Penguin Audiobooks in, uh, audio. ;-) It's narrated by Scott Brick.