This final adventure in the author’s trilogy finds Mac Sisco, an ex-Navy SEAL and a current NSA officer, called into service by the director of the NSA. It is 2023, and one event leads to another (and one US department to another) as Sisco works through a mass of international intrigue—games-playing, hostage-holding, and uncertain loyalties, to name only a few problems—to try to find and diffuse significant crises while there is time. The situations of pulling a political thread to reveal multiple, potentially disastrous events, not knowing whom or what to trust as the web is revealed and untangled, and a race against time are three components in the story that the author handles with consummate skill.

The plot structure, character development, and how these interact keep the reader engaged and intrigued. Like all good literature, the work is defined by a well-constructed storyline and believable characters whom the reader cares about and can relate to, even in extraordinary situations. The humanity and vulnerability of the characters are plain as the practicalities of trusting and relating to one another are tested. That the story's verisimilitude is sustained throughout is especially admirable, considering this is the third book to feature the characters having to deal with multiple crises and is the most intense of all the stories. Is Mac overly trusting and optimistic about the NSA? Are political considerations important if they corrupt a person's values? Is survival more important than peace or friendship? How many twists must Sisco and company and the reader experience? This book will undoubtedly entertain fans of action, mystery, and international intrigue.

RECOMMENDED by the US Review

Return to USR Home