Soft Target

This is Stephen Hunter’s latest in the Bob Lee Swagger series, and it is as good as any of the past books that have captivated the writers in this blog. This story is about Bob Lee’s offspring, one that we didn’t know about (and maybe I don’t remember from earlier books), retired Marine Gunnery Sergeant Ray Cruz. Cruz was on a Christmas shopping outing with his girlfriend’s family on the day after Thanksgiving at “America, the Mall” in Minnesota. This mega retail setting was about the last place in the world where he wanted to be, but then terrorists took over, trapped more than 1,000 hostages, and started randomly killing them even before the terrorists made any demands. The first death was a graphic headshot to Santa Clause who had a little girl sitting on his lap at the time. The mastermind behind the event invaded and controlled the mall’s security center, and by so doing, shut down all exits and kept any rescue help from getting inside. Cruz was able to have some cell phone contact with would-be rescuers, and he learned that he was the only “asset” inside the mall. Hunter never got around to explaining how Cruz happened to be the son of Bob Lee, but Hunter had his protagonist’s new girlfriend Molly say in response to Cruz’s plan to take action, “He thinks he’s John Wayne. John Wayne was a fantasy. He never existed. He’s a dream, a phantom, a ghost.” Hunter wrote, “’He existed,’ said Ray, ‘and his name was Bob Lee Swagger. He’s my father.’” Ray Cruz is a very compelling character within this genre, clearly the equal of his father. There’s another Swagger in this book, Nikki Swagger, a daring news reporter who gets the scoop on the events going on inside the mall, although her connection to the inside events has nothing to do with Cruz. In fact, throughout the book, there is no direct link made between Cruz and Swagger. It is only in the last couple of pages that Hunter reveals the link between them. So, Hunter seems to be cleverly setting up some future stories which hopefully will explain more about these characters. This story took place within the course of a few hours, and it was a gripping, can’t-put-it-down read. Hunter retains his place near the top of my power rotation of favorite authors.

Zero Day by David Baldacci

Zero Day by David Baldacci introduces us to a new hero, John Puller. Puller is an experienced and highly accomplished soldier, now with the army Criminal Investigative Unit. He has repeatedly chosen field work over military rank and has proven himself a competent and tireless investigator.  His dedication to justice over politics immediately endears him to the reader. He is assigned to investigate a murder case in rural West Virginia that quickly unravels into a conspiracy that threatens the security of the nation.

A Lieutenant Colonel, his wife and two kids are killed in a small West Virginia coal town while visiting family. Puller is solely assigned to the case with no back up and is told to report his activity only through secure channels.  Puller makes contact with the local county detective, Samantha Cole and finds her relieved to have the assistance.  They soon discover four other related murders in the area.  Puller and Cole follow leads to the rich coal company owners, a local motorcycle club with drug dealing connections, and an ancient but abandoned federal nuclear research center with a mysterious past.  Attempts on Puller’s life convince him that someone has secrets to keep and are desperate to do so.  He finds out from a retired army officer that corners were cut when the nuclear research facility was closed and that dangerous nuclear fuel could potentially be still inside.  In terrorist hands this powerful fuel could do far more damage than 9/11.  Homeland Security intercepts chatter from this small West Virginia town that leads them to believe an attack is imminent, only three days away.  Yet they continue to rely solely on Puller to foil the attack.  They fear that sending in the troops would tip off the terrorists who would advance the operation.

Baldacci’s Zero Day is riveting and fast paced with enough twists and turns to keep you guessing to the very end. John Puller is an intriguing powerful lead character with likable human qualities.  But here’s the rub…you can’t read this book without constantly comparing it to Lee Child’s The Affair.  The characters are too similar and the story lines too parallel.  That really detracts from an otherwise good read.  But I hope we see more of John Puller.

The Hunter by John Lescroart

The Hunter by John Lescroart features Wyatt Hunt, the single but successful San Francisco private investigator. Wyatt's early childhood years were difficult as he was placed in California’s foster care system at a very young age. He has only a vague memory of his birth parents. At age six he was adopted by a loving couple named Bob and Charlene Hunt but still bears emotional scars and has underlying abandonment issues. Now in his early 40’s, Wyatt receives an anonymous text message- “Do you know how your mother died?”    Suddenly he is compelled to search for his birth parents.  His emotional well being depends on it.

Wyatt discovers his birth mother was murdered 40 years earlier and his father was accused and tried twice for the crime but was never convicted.  The jury each time was unable to return a guilty verdict.  By interviewing people his parents had known Wyatt learns of his mother’s involvement with Reverend Jim Jones, the cult leader who committed suicide with his followers in the late 1970’s.  Wyatt is soon convinced his birth father was innocent as his investigation prompts a killer to commit further acts of violence.  One of Wyatt’s employees as well as a friend of his birth parents is murdered.  Desperate to find the killer, yet sworn off the current murder cases by the San Francisco police, Wyatt travels outside the city in search of more information about his birth parents.  He reunites with his grandmother in Indiana and finds his birth father voluntarily exiled in Mexico.  Meanwhile, Wyatt develops a new romantic relationship with Tamara, a long time friend and employee.  His abandonment issues have interfered with his previous relationships but Tamara sees him through his emotional crisis.

I’ve read most of Lescroart’s books and have to say this one is just ok…not his best. I thought the plot was a little slow to develop.  Plus no one wants to read about a grown man crying.  Maybe it’s because Wyatt Hunt is not my favorite Lescroart character. I favor the noble but well connected attorney, Dismas Hardy and the grumpy but well intended police lieutenant, Abe Glitsky. I miss those guys.

An American Spy by Olen Steinhauer

The crown jewel of my late troika.

The Tourist, The Nearest Exit, and now An American Spy; the final chapter in the Milo Weaver saga . . . we think.

As you may or may not recall, a Tourist is a CIA killer, called to go in, do a job, and get out. Milo Weaver was one such Tourist, but was getting reluctant about his call and longed to get out to be with his family back in NYC. In The Nearest Exit, the Chinese director of one of the myriad of China's security directorates, Xin Zhu, took out his revenge against the Office of Tourism (the CIA was part and parcel responsible for his son's death in Sudan) with a clever and intricate plot to wipe the Tourists and was quite successful, killing 33 of the 40 Tourists. That book ended with Milo being gut shot by a Moldavian who blamed Milo for his daughter's death. This book picks up in 2008 just after Milo's convalescence.

The Office of Tourism has been closed. Allan Drummond, Milo's former director and now friendly neighbor in NYC, was summarily dismissed for his failures. And Allan is close to going off the deep end. Xin Zhu, the mastermind behind the plot to destroy the Office has his own troubles deep in China's secret committees of back room power. His plan had not received approval, but he went ahead with it anyway and Xin has to answer for his insubordination. Drummond becomes estranged from his wife, takes a circuitous route to London where he disappears. Drummond's erratic behavior worries Milo and he gets to looking to see what he might have missed that might lead to Drummond's whereabouts. Everyone assumes it's blind rage to get back at Xin Zhu.

Lest you think this will be a fairly linear plot of Drummond tracking Xin with Milo close behind, not know if he should let Drummond succeed or try and stop him, remember who we are dealing with. Steinhauer quite possibly sits at the top of the espionage mountain where his rarified air lets him layer a complex multinational plot of deceit, manipulation, confusion, intrigue, murder, and cover-ups where no one really knows what or how much the other knows and everyone tries to sift out that critical bit of clarity from the mounds of supposition, implication, and guesses that are the lifeblood of intelligence gathering.

There are a lot of players in this game - shadowy CIA bosses, senators, DC power brokers, a young Chinese Mata Hari, all manner of Chinese bureaucrats wanting power while covering their asses for past indiscretions, moles on both sides, the German intelligence network, Milo's family, a Chinese domestic terror network, Hammond's wife, Milo's father (a Russian and former KGB type now running an ultra-secret band of his own agents from within the UN), Milo's stepsister, those 4 surviving tourists. Everyone has a stake is whether Hammond is successful or not and what Milo will do when he catches up with Hammond.

Steinhauer takes the unusually creative tact by stringing the reader along with chapters covering the same territory as seen by all those various players. With each chapter, a new wrinkle is unveiled to help us see the what, where, why, and how the hell's of this complex story that ties up most of the loose ends from the previous two books in such a way that the reader, while having to piece together so many plot points, still leaves satisfied at the end because by all indications, we are not done with Milo and Drummond.

I've said it before. While I enjoy the rollicking, rampaging, kick-ass plots of Vince Flynn, Brad Thor, and others in the political thriller genre, I'm going to have to read a lot of espionage authors to find anyone who deserves to even be in the foothills of the mountain ruled over by Steinhauer. Be warned. Complexity is the predecessor to confusion which ultimately leads to some measure of enlightenment. And all this requires some work out of the reader so be prepared for a dizzying ride though what is far more likely the reality of nation-state espionage.

East Coast Don

The Last Detective by Robert Crais

When you have a trip and need some reading material, but you are way down the wait list at the library, retreat to a reliable author. Back to MRB fav, Robert Crais.

We are a few books back, when Lucy Chenier and her son Ben had left Louisiana and moved to LA to make a new start with Elvis Cole. Elvis and Lucy made a connection in an earlier book. Her nutcase ex-husband had pushed them over the edge so they bolted to LA. Now Elvis is in hog heaven with Lucy and Ben living in LA.

After school one day, Ben is over at Elvis' house overlooking Laurel Canyon. They enjoy each other as they gently try to develop this new relationship. Ben goes off on a little explore around Elvis' house through the undergrowth on the hillside below the deck . . . and disappears.

All hell breaks loose as Elvis panics. He searches all over. Nothing. Calls Lucy at her work. She is beside herself not only over his disappearance, but with guilt that this wouldn't have happened had they stayed in NOLA. The cops are brought in. And Lucy owes it to Ben's father to tell him what's going on.

He arrives with his own crew of investigator; a shady bunch. The cops want Elvis out of the search, but you know that'll never happen. And where Elvis goes, Joe Pike is sure to be close behind.

Why was Ben kidnapped? Surely it can't be for money. What LA private eye has that kind of money? Even if you are The World's Greatest Detective. Maybe they are after Lucy somehow. She is a talking head TV lawyer now so they must be loaded. Or maybe it's Ben's father. He's wealthy with a capital W. That must be it.

So we are faced with two angles here. Where is Ben and who are the kidnappers working for or against? This very fast-paced tale explores all possibilities that in the end, while logical, certainly wasn't what was expected as the case developed. One cool little subplot is that one of the police detectives is the femme fatale from Demolition Angel who takes a shine to our heros.

Like I said. Got a trip? Need a book? Go with your gut. And my gut almost always says Robert Crais. Only bad thing about traveling as much as I do is that I'm very close to running out of Cole/Pike books.

East Coast Don

Blue Heaven by CJ Box

3 books behind. Read two on my trip to Dubai. Time to catch up.

Annie, 12yo, and her younger brother William are the children of the town flirt. Her current fling is the UPS guy who bails on a promise to take the kids fishing. PO'ed, the head off on their own. They approach the spot they want to drop a line in only to be witness to 4 guys killing the 5th in their party. Bad news is they are seen and the chase is on.

The kids have an advantage because they are on their home turf in the backwoods, but newly trendy, mountain valleys of Northern Idaho. With some guile, luck, and the help of a local, they manage to elude the killers who are new to the area.

The bad guys are a group of retired LA cops. A few years earlier, an LA cop retired to Idaho and others have followed. They've sold their tiny SoCal homes and brought the money to Idaho and built their own versions of Monticello. The community of retired cops is nicknamed Blue Heaven.

But this group of 5 (now 4, or was it 6 and now 5?) brought with them some underhanded dealings from a long ago robbery of a race track. They've carefully avoided notice by bank examiners by depositing just under the radar amounts of cash into a 'benevolent fund' with the aid of the local bank prez. The 5th (6th?) of their group was having some issues with his conscious and was deemed negotiable.

Annie and William hide out in the barn of a local rancher about to lose his ranch to foreclosure. Jess Rawlings believes what the kids tell him, but he is still reluctant to act on his suspicions because he doesn't know who to trust. Can't trust the new residents. Not sure about the newly elected sheriff. And no one ever trusts the FBI - they are government and this part of the country doesn't cotton to governmental inquiries. Like it or not, it's up to Jess to keep the kids safe, trap the cops, recovery the money, and get the young'uns back to their mom.

While CJ Box is a MRB fav for his Joe Pickett stories, this is a standalone novel that keeps the welcomed flavor of his Pickett books. Noble loner, wilderness setting, clear lines of good and evil, murky ways of how to do the right thing and not get dead in the process. Don't put this CJ Box novel back on the rack just because it's not a Joe Pickett story. You'd be missing a thrilling ride.

East Coast Don

Drift: The Unmooring of American Military Power

Before you right wingers start giving me a hard time about reading this book, keep in mind that this stealth commie has read Paul Wolfowitz and Newt Gingrich. And by the way, this book just debuted at the top of the NY Times Bestseller List, in the first week after it was released, so I am not the only one reading it. Drift: The Unmooring of American Military Power is a fascinating study of the relative disenfranchisement of most American citizens from what the military is doing. The people who have served in the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts represent only 1% of the American population, and most of us do not even know someone who has done so, and it is more unlikely that we know someone who was injured there. First, there was the professionalization of the army with the abolition of the draft by Nixon, followed by the imperialization of the presidency which began under Reagan and continued since then, the privatization of many military functions which really took off under Clinton, and the President’s growing ability to pursue war without the approval of Congress. Our war machine has grown to unprecedented levels, and our defense budget now equals what the rest of the world is spending on defense. Maddow explores the ramifications of these changes throughout our society. I found it to be a compelling read, and anyone who is interested in the workings of our government and the erosion of the balance of power among the branches of government as envisioned by our founding fathers, ought to find this book and Maddow’s take on the issues to be intriguing. Drift gets my highest recommendation. An Amazon reviewer wrote, “Regardless of whether or not you like Rachel Maddow or agree with her politics, and I'm not generally much of a fan, you owe it to yourself to read this book. It should be required reading for anyone who cares about the U.S., our heritage, military policy, and future. You don't have to agree with her but you should at least consider what she has to say on the topic.”