Friday, February 12, 2010

Critical Mass by Whitley Strieber

Paperback

TOR 371 pages

Thriller

Publish date: 2009

Synopsis:

In this overheated thriller about nuclear terrorism, Jim Deutsch, a CIA contract employee whose expertise is counterproliferation, has the world's fate in his hands as he races to foil the Islamic master-terrorist known as the Madhi. When Deutsch learns that some plutonium has been smuggled over the U.S. border from Mexico, he begins to suspect that America's elaborate homeland security apparatus has been compromised. His valiant efforts, alas, aren't enough to prevent the destruction of Las Vegas. As U.S. president William Fitzgerald ponders whether to launch devastating counterattacks aimed at much of the Muslim world, the tension rises. It is a race to the end, will the terrorists be stopped before more cities are destroyed?

My Take:

An interesting idea that reads more like current events then a novel. You can almost sense something like this really happening. The book moves along at a rapid pace despite occasional very apparent blunders by the author. His word choice is questionable at times and his prose is a tad sloppy. He also is over descriptive in places. All of this slows the action down slightly, but not enough for you to put the book back on the shelf. Once you begin this book, and I recommend you do, you won't want to put it back down until you finish it despite the glaring inadequate writing style.

Though I enjoyed the U.S. Government running around trying to stop further destruction carried out by the terrorists, I would love to read a book from the perspective of the everyday Joe who wakes up one morning to the news that Las Vegas was destroyed over night by a nuclear bomb and that every major city around the world has been told a nuclear bomb is hidden in their borders waiting to go off unless they meet the terrorist's demands. What would the everyday Joe do to protect his family? What would you do? I think this book would be a great read. Hell, maybe I will write it myself.

Sorry for the tangent. Back to Critical Mass. If you like political thrillers, you will like this book.

I rate it a 7.5

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