<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: A Novel with the Ring of Reality
Review: A new recruit to the FBI's Hostage Rescue Team thought he understood what he was joining. Instead, he finds himself plunged deep into an Alice in Wonderland World of lack operations. In Black, Christopher Whitcomb, a fifteen-year veteran of the FBI and a Hostage Rescue Team member, has written a troubling novel about the shadowy world in which this recruit unexpectedly finds himself. It is a world dominated by black-box technology, gorgeous females with hidden agendas and mercenaries with shifting loyalties. Whitcomb infuses current sense of reality into the genre. It is obvious he has experienced the interplay between intelligence organizations and international corporations. He also includes timely references to the war on Iraq and Al-Qaeda. The novel is an easy read. Were it not for several instances of poor editing (he confuses Lincoln Center in New York with the Kennedy Center in Washington) it novel would rate five stars.
Rating: 
Summary: BLACK: a timely adventure.
Review: As a fan of W.E.B. Griffin and Tom Clancy's style of writing, I found BLACK engrossing, fast paced, and unpredictable. I am always drawn to stories where I feel I am being brought alongside the adventures of the characters, and not told of them.
The main characters in BLACK kept me looking forward to the next page and next stage of adventure. If you have read "Cold Zero", by this author, you will feel right at home with the FBI'S Hostage Rescue Team, and associated personnel. Jeremy Waller is a new member of "HRT" and is faced with many twists and turns on a professional level as well as trying to cope with the emotional toll his new assignment brings. The plot takes us from the political intrigue of Washington, to the deserts of Yemen. You will need your own passport to keep up with the contents of this book!
Rating:
Summary: Completely engrossing, thrilling, explosive read!!!
Review: From the first page, the the very last, I found myself consumed by this book. The main characters were spun together in a huge, complex plot that keeps you guessing until the last few paragraphs of the novel. I think this is one of the best books based on real world situations in a long time. I look forward to the next thrill ride from Chris Whitcomb. A superbly written book.
Rating:
Summary: Done Hiding
Review: O.k. I heard this guy on Imus and thought this book would make a great Father's Day gift. I bought it and 24 hours later, I was so engrossed in this novel, I was hiding all over the house to keep my husband from seeing me read it! You are in the driver's seat with this guy from the get go and it just gets better and faster with each chapter. This book is all about fighting terrorism in today's world with no guidebooks or rules of engagement. It's almost a vigilante effort within our government. As elusive as the terrorists are, so are the agencies' efforts to combat them. I am still asking myself, does this stuff really happen? Whitcomb clearly has personal insight in his ability to navigate this journey. Black takes you into a world that we never think about. Several worlds actually, that Whitcomb brilliantly brings together, in an unimaginable way, leaving you feeling safer as an American and begging for a sequel. A great read for Father's Day.
Rating:
Summary: an exciting, timely thriller
Review: This is a very fast moving, thrilling novel that adds a chilling twist to the way America fights terrorism. The reader is quickly immersed into the lives of the three patriotic americans from different walks of life, who are caught up in a grand scheme to defeat a deadly terrorist plot. This is a hard book to put down. I put everything on hold until I finished it. The reader is never really sure who the good guys and bad guys are, and never does know until the startling ending. The plot will keep you guessing right to the last page. I highly recommend this book and hope to see more novels from Mr. Whitcomb.
Rating: 
Summary: A quick summer read
Review: Three and a half stars, really, because his insider's view of the mindset of his military and FBI characters, especially in the context of current events, raises this book above the level of pure cotton candy potboiler. He gives decent dialogue and motivation to characters he's obviously at home with, but his other characters come out flat. And he drops so many names of high-priced luxury items worn or admired by his non-FBI-related characters that it looks like that's how he's tried to develop their characters. I guess it's the nature of the beast that the author sacrifices character development for the sake of the plot. A good beach or hammock read.
<< 1 >>
| 
