Karen Chisholm
REVIEW
Review - KILL ZONE, Harry Ledowsky
Reviewed By
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
A thriller set in what's becoming the familiar territory of Iraq and Afghanistan, Pakistan's status as a nuclear nation plays into the action in KILL ZONE.
The idea of nuclear devices the size of briefcases going missing isn't a new one in thriller world, and to be frank I've no idea if it's realistic or not, but it certainly feels that way. The idea that the powers that be are 50% of the problem for the poor on the ground investigator is also not a new idea, but the idea that a deputy director of the CIA would be playing political games in a time of heightened terror alerts is certainly a new spin on things.
But really, the ultimate idea of a thriller of this type is that reality or not probably shouldn't come into it - it's all a matter of whether the reader is swept up into the scenario and pulled into the story. With all the black ops, double crossing, treason, nefarious goings on, special forces and a hefty dose of seemingly invincible protagonist, it definitely works in KILL ZONE. But the point that really works is the idea that the secret services are as fond of secret ops against each as they are against any "enemy".
Character development in KILL ZONE is also not bad given it's an action based thriller, and the pace is really good. KILL ZONE has action aplenty and enough tension and protagonist jeopardy to keep any fan of thrillers on the edge of their seat.
BOOK DETAILS
BOOK INFORMATION
BLURB
A nuclear device the size of a briefcase has been developed in Pakistan. The scientist responsible has disappeared with it. The CIA believes the target is on US soil.
When the disappearance of the miniaturized nuclear weapon is uncovered a covert division of the CIA sends Ryan Nash, a major in the 82nd Airborne, to Pakistan. His mission is simple: assassinate the rogue physicist before the drop-off to a fundamentalist Islamic cleric can occur in the North-West Frontier Province.
But the mission is not as simple as it seems.
The CIA’s budget is being slashed in the wake of the disastrous war in Iraq, and the covert division is being shut down. The deputy director of the CIA, Conrad Lawrence, wants to stop the mission, and is willing to go to any lengths to achieve maximum deniability.
Will the team be able to stop the weapon getting to the United States? How far is Lawrence willing to go to stop the mission? Is the target really what it seems? Nash and his team must race against the clock to stop the terrorists and uncover the corruption at the heart of the CIA in this high-voltage military thriller.