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"Labyrinth" is like his other thrillers in that a hero fights against unbelievable odds to save the world. In this novel, a college professor is enlisted to get to the bottom of the plans of an organization known as The Committee. A friend of the professor's is killed observing actions on the part of The Committee and due to a past debt, he agrees to avenge his friend's murder.
A town is Columbia is burned to the ground to hide the plans of The Committee. The hero, Christopher Locke, visits various exotic locales including Lichtenstein, Geneva, and London in his trek to determine the scheme of The Committee. Friends are killed or turn on him, and enemies try to kill him or become his friends. Before he knows it, Locke is in too deep to get out and must stop The Committee to not only save his family, but also to prevent the downfall of the world's economies.
If you like non-stop action thrillers, Jon Land thrillers would be your cup of tea. If you want more in-depth, longer thrillers, try Robert Ludlum or Tom Clancy. All of Land's titles are quick, fun reads that make you wonder why he has never achieved the success or notariety of the major players in the realm of espionage fiction.
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Recently, however, Land has gotten more realistic and serious with his series of novels featuring Ben Kamal and Danielle Barea, a pair of detectives and star-crossed lovers (he's Palestinean, she's Israeli) who take on mysteries and conspiracies that often extend beyond the borders of their homes.
As is the case in most of this series, the two usually deal with separate mysteries that turn out to be linked. In this case, they must deal with the murders of several teenagers who attended the same school as well as the attempted murder of a philanthropic billionaire with a secret past. There are traces of Land's love of secret organizations and conspiracies, and it all comes together nicely.
Just because Land has become more serious does not mean he has gotten worse; in fact, there is a maturity in his writing that is an improvement. Nonetheless, I kind of miss the sillier Land and hope that some day McCracken returns.
Highly recommended.
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This book is a marvel. It contains all that is best and worst in current writing. Land's story is exciting and the plot rockets forward. The characters are extremely likable. The opposition that Kamal and Barnea face from their own bosses & from a hostile populace add a terrific layer of tension. However, the book also has about three endings & just keeps going on & on; it would be much better less 75 pages. And it contains one of the most annoying creatures in modern detective fiction, the rogue hero, in this case ex-Colonel Frank Brickland, who will do the dirty work that our central heroes can not do--think of Hawk in the Spenser series.
With all that, I think if you're about to get on an airplane & you're looking for a good, quick, big-print read, you won't do much better than this one.
GRADE: C+
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This one involves the discovery of a rare crystal that has unique powers. When it falls into the hands of the enemy, a death ray is created which destroys all carbon-based entities. A small town in Oregon is used as a test basis for the weapon and to show the world what power is harnessed by the weapon.
McCracken, a rogue agent who is no longer on the payroll for the U.S. Government, is called into action again. However, after becoming involved, his reasoning for stopping the weapon becomes personal in addition to saving the world. He eventually teams with a female Russian agent who is similar in nature to McCracken.
Unlike previous Land novels, the ending seems abrupt and should have been fleshed out a bit more. One of the two factions' efforts basically becomes meaningless. The mole is revealed, but simply surrenders which seemed to be the easy way out. Also, one of those that oppose McCracken's efforts seems to disappear at the end. If the ending had been better presented, this one would have been another five star effort from Jon Land.
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The novel begins with the escape of eighty four inmates from a maximum security installation. Their leader, Leeds, a man nicknamed "The Candy Man", is a mastermind who planned his escape before being captured by Jared Kimberlain, the lead character also known as "The Ferryman". Leeds plans to essentially reverse society and have those who have been shunned and locked away from society to take control. Essentially, the "inmates would run the asylum".
New characters are introduced, including a female character who is a member of the new version of the Caretakers, the group to which Kimberlain was a former member. The female character has a mysterious past that is linked to Kimberlain, although neither knows it. The giant Winston Peet also returns from his original appearance in "The Eighth Trumpet", but is underutilized in this one.
While Leeds is trying to overtake the world, a serial killer is stalking small towns (or so it appears) and killing all the inhabitants. Kimberlain also must track down the killer and bring him to justice. This is where the novel seems to lose its direction. Had the book concentrated solely on Leeds and his world domination scheme, the novel probably would have been better. However, the substory of the serial killer, while tied into the main storyline at the end, seemed out of place throughout most of the novel.
If you're a fan of Jon Land's novels, you'll want to read this one as well. If you enjoy serial killer novels, you might want to give this one a shot. If you are expecting a novels up to the standards set by "The Eighth Trumpet", you might be disappointed. While it was great to see the main characters return, this one seemed to concentrate too much on Kimberlain and not on the minor/smaller role characters such as Winston Peet.
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This one involves a suspended NFL player whose sister contacts him on urgent business. Soon after arriving, the sister and several others are slaughtered. The player then tries to avenge his sister's death. Little does he know that her murder was a part of a much bigger plot.
He soon meets with a female agent named Chimera whose initial responsibility was to kill him. However, they soon join forces to try and topple the madman. The male hero in this story isn't as well-developed nor as inspiring as Land's other male heroes. The female hero is a perfect blend of brains and brawn and works well. Overall, the storyline is very good, but not Land's best. Still, if you are a fan of Land, it's another "can't miss" novel.
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Danielle Barnea is an Israeli police officer. Ben Kamal is a Palestinian detective. A group of Archeologists are executed while at a site in the Judean desert. This starts the adventure that brings Danielle and Ben back together again.
If you like Indiana Jones adventures, you'll like this book. It's fast paced action all the way. It has a tendency to go a little overboard on some of the action as far as believability goes, but its still hyperdrive reading. As you read through the twists and turns, from places like Boston to the North Sea, you'll enjoy the ride, and at the same time see how relations between a Palestinian and an Israelis can be a problem. One humorous note; Colonel Al-Asi and his gambling 'inspections'.
Highly recommended..
On the ever-present verge of war, Turkey is shocked by the murder of a group of American archeologists on the brink of making an earth-shattering find: scrolls that may just throw Christianity into a frenzy. If true, the information contained in these ancient Aramaic scripts will destroy organized religion as it is currently known. They just may contain information saying that Jesus Christ was never resurrected, because he never actually died on the Cross. Called into action are Chief Inspector Danielle Barnea of Isreal's National Police, and Palestinian detective Ben Kamal...joining together amidst the heat of the Judean desert to get to the bottom of this mystery. But the scrolls in question, though missing, may not be the reason the Americans were murdered after all. Taking all of their combined ingenuity and skill, Kamal and Bernea are pursued from continent to continent once they begin to unravel the true mystery.
Divided into nearly 90 bite-sized chapters, Land's novel is a humdinger of a read...drawing the readers attention on with each well-written word. Packed with action and intelligent characters, this is one book that will be difficult to put down until it is finished. Buy it today!
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I bought this book after seeing Wolf, with Jack Nicholson. Not that this paperback has any relation with that movie, but it's just that after I saw the flick I really wanted to find other werewolf-themed books and videos and this was an excellent choice.
In this book King tells the story of Tarker Mills, a town in Maine where death looms every time there's a full moon in the sky. The master of suspense shows you how a typical January night becomes the start of a terrifying cycle...the Cycle of the Werewolf.
This is a very short but exciting story (just 12 chapters of about 500 words each) so you don't have time to get bored, you will simply find it difficult to lay the book down.
This isn't a King classic but it sure is entertaining and easy to read. Overall, I think this is a great Stephen King book that will keep you reading however, if you're a fan of the long, more complex and gore-filled King stories make another choice.
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