Rating: 
Summary: This author gets even better with each book he writes
Review: The President has decided it is time to stop the Sanctuary of the
Lord and the Wrath of God, a paramilitary organization disguised as a
religious movement. The group is run by a former war hero and religious
fanatic, General (R) Engstrom, who has a personal grudge against the
president that dates back to their service time in Nam. His group
advocates the overthrow of the American government by violent means. They
are a force of six thousand hard core soldiers, daily growing stronger,
and possess state of the art weapons.
The President believes that the time has come to diffuse the threat
by rendering the enemy impotent. His weapon of choice is the Ricco
Statutes and the Attorney General of Illinois, Martin Vail, and his staff,
affectionately known as the "Wild Bunch" are selected to pull the trigger. Marty and his team use all their resources to link Engstrom to the
Sanctuary and eventually to the militia movement. However, he is unaware
that his old enemy, Aaron Stampler, thought to be dead, is a key
participant in the Sanctuary movement. Aaron plans to get even with Marty
for what the man did to him.
PRIMAL FEAR was a brilliant thriller that most readers considered to
be William Diehl's best novel and impossible to top. REIGN IN HELL,
shockingly, is even better because its scope is wider, focusing on national
social issues. Building on the fear and outrage inspired by Ruby Ridge,
Waco, and Oklahoma City, Mr. Diehl guides his readers deeply into the
essence of the cult-like militia movement and the dilemma facing the
federal government: To use force to stop the movement and alienate many
moderate conservatives, or to ignore the movement until it may prove too
late.
Harriet Klausner
Rating: 
Summary: Great new Diehl!!
Review: I have read all three of the "Martin Vail Trilogy" and have found all of them quite enjoyable. Even though I did like Show of Evil a bit more, Reign in Hell is still a good novel, if you read it more for the Martin Vail characterisation, then the vail/Stampler interaction. Even so, I found it a bit lacking in the area of "coutroom" drama, after the first RICO case we are all but devoid of legal/courtroom argument, often my favourite part of Diehl's novels. In saying this though, i found the last part, aptly titled "armageddon" was absolutely brilliant. It was fast paced and kept me reading. I admit Vail thumbing his nose at the President was maybe a LITTLE bit over the top but hey, it is so typical of his character, I suppose we can forgive Diehl!! Overall a good book, I say 9 out of 10
Rating:
Summary: Very creepy....
Review: Does he ever die? Great book. Not for you if you have a weak stomach.
Rating: 
Summary: Big players play for national security
Review: Though slow to start whilst setting the (complex) scene, Diehl brings us an intricate legal thriller. Whilst comparisons with Grisham could be made, this is no courtroom-based tale of "small-time lawyer takes on big bad law firm / pharmaceutical company / tobacco baron and wins". Here the players are all big time: Vail, master prosecutor; a right wing religious fanatic leading a militia of 1000s; and the President of the United States himself.
Vail, reknowned trial lawyer who has brought down massive companies and politicos before, is challenged by the Big Man himself to find a legal case against a religious-cult-leader before he starts a war of anarchy against the United States, and before the President comes up for re-election. With intimate knowledge of RICO legislation and all the backing of the FBI, Vail is set a task somewhat akin to taking the Mafia down for fraud.
In the meantime, a hostile army is being trained in guerilla warfare; banks and arms shipments are being raided; anonymous assassins are tracking key informants, witnesses, and Vail and his loved ones.
Apparently, the key players have featured in previous Diehl books. They bring their past with them, and for fans, Vail is the key player in this plot, but this book just as comfortably stands alone as a thriller in its own right.
The race is on for Vail and his team of "Wild Ones" against the militia and against the President's agenda.
Rating:
Summary: REIGN IN HECK
Review: Apparently, Aaron Stampler is a big deal serial killer who escaped from Martin Vail (the greatest prosecutor on earth) in another Diehl novel. Well, I didn't know that when I picked this novel up. Unfortunately, this novel suffers from lack of in depth characterization. Many characters are colorful, but few have much to do. For those that were wondering, Stampler is masquerading as a hate-spitting, blind preacher, and killed in the final pages of this mess.
The rest of the book is about Martin Vail's pursuit of the Sanctuary, a God and country loving, Montana militia group, who have killed, robbed, and stolen military weaponry. Vail is approached by the US Attorney General and begged to take on a RICO case against the Sanctuary, as a favor to the President himself. Unfortunately, presidential politics get in the way and the army is called out to kill them all.
It's unclear if Diehl is making an antigovernment statement to protest Ruby Ridge and Waco, or manifest a call to arms against dangerous militias. In a way, he backs himself into a corner and seems to do a bit of both, but neither well. When Vail gets warrants to search Sanctuary properties, Diehl gives a taste of how tough it is to be in the government's position sometimes.
Interesting characters built up but never utilized to their potential are General Engstrom, President Pennington, and AG Marge Castaigne. None are essential to the plot as it is written. But we are sure reminded how great Vail is.
Rating: 
Summary: Oh Come On
Review: I am a bit disappointed in the author after reading this book, I just have zero patience for books that are this cheesy. He should have used more of his skills to actually put together a story tat was not so Hollywood. The book seams rushed, almost like the author did not want to take the time to really develop either the story or the characters. I just did not believe the characters. I kept waiting for it to get better which is why I toughed it out to the end, but I was disappointed overall. With that said I did find that the book is a fast paced action book. For me it was disappointing, because there is nothing new here except maybe the name, the plot is so predictable. This is mindless pulp fiction, if that is what you are after then this is the book for you.
Rating:
Summary: WHAT HAPPENED TO MARTIN VAIL?
Review: First of all, this book, written in 1998, is eerily in tune with our recent American terrorism tragedy. In "Reign in Hell," the terrorists are militia men, posing as religious fanatics, who want to bring our country to its knees. Unfortunately, the President in this scenario is a real weasel and the people who support him are likewise unethical and self-serving. I know that this has been a mainstay of many writers, showing how corrupt our government can be. Even so, with our lives now irrevocably changed from the 9-11-02 tragedy, we don't need to harp on our government's clandestine operations, so I don't recommend this book at all from that standpoint. As part of the Martin Vail series, however, "Reign in Hell" falls short of its two predecessors. Vail seems tired and almost lethargic in this book which finds him appointed Assistant Attorney General of the United States. His relationship with Jane Venable is heightened, but not with any real memorable scenes. Diehl's biggest disappointment is the return of Aaron Stampler as a "blind" religious fanatic, posing as Brother Transgression. Whereas Stampler was definitely a viable and horrifying character in the first two novels, his portrayal in this one is so preposterous that it's hard to even imagine him as the real Aaron Stampler. I don't know whether Diehl is planning any more Martin Vail novels, but he had a winner going; this book almost destroyed Vail though. In more ways than one!
Rating:
Summary: Not One Of Diehl's Best
Review: Reign in Hell is not a great book. Which is a real shame because the two previous Martin Veil books were amazing reads. Martin Veil is not even a necessary part of this book. If Diehl really wanted to tell this story he probably should have left Veil out of it. If you are going to try and read a Martin Veil book, try Primal Fear or Show of Evil. These are two outstanding books that you will enjoy from start to finish.
Rating:
Summary: Diehl's differnet but great continuation of the Vail series.
Review: Martin Veil returns for his third book from Diehl. In this one, Martin wins a RICO case in small town America, then is offered a chance to be Asst. Attorney General of the U.S. to set up a RICO case against a hate group called The Sanctuary. The majority of the story is about the members of The Sactuary and how they got to be where they are. A lot of action filled robberies and military expeditions flavor this novel. And Aaron Stampler does return. This piece is written more in the style and research of Tom Clancy. A lot of politics and military aspects are covered. Diehl's back stories and flashbacks to flesh out the characters and their motivations is a strong point. The conclusion is sad , true and too frequently real. A different Diehl but a great book.
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