Firefly

Rating:
Summary: Surprising Twists And Turns
Review: A German mercenary working for a rich terrorist faction in Saudi Arabia has a plan to assassinate the new American president and cause major collateral damage. Swamp Morgan, a retired Secret Service agent, is brought in by the newly formed Department Of Homeland Security to determine if a fire at a Washington DC plastic surgery clinic is a firefly (not a serious threat to national security) or the first wave of a terrorist plot. This story bogs down in places with too much detail and the numerous acronyms for government agencies were a little annoying, but the action scenes were very good. I liked the characters, especially Swamp Morgan and Nurse Connie Wall. This wasn't an easy read, but the conclusion was full of suspense and surprises and made it all worthwhile.

Rating:
Summary: Well Worth The Read: The Firefly by P. T. Deutermann
Review: Book marketing today is a funny business. There are many books out there with a "thriller" designation attached to their title and quite often; they aren't a thriller on any level. Then there are those books that should have the designation and for whatever unfathomable reason, don't. Those books may not have the designation but should because they are in fact, thrillers. "The Firefly" by the always very enjoyable P. T. Deutermann is a glaring case in point.

After the tragedy of 9/11, Retired Secret Service Agent Swamp Morgan was recalled to active duty, as were hundreds if not thousands of agents and investigators throughout the various federal law enforcement agencies. Swamp is now operating out of a small segment of the large umbrella organization known as the Department of Homeland Security. Swamp is assigned to investigate a strange fire at a local medical clinic as inauguration day fast approaches.

Six weeks ago, a large fire burned at a private clinic specializing in plastic surgery killing two doctors and two nurses. All the bodies, badly charred, were found in an operating room that clearly had just been used for surgery but there was no sign of the patient. The case becomes stranger as the fire burned much hotter than it should have and from all appearances seems to indicate arson. Could the missing patient have done it and if so, why? Then part of a medical transcript of a patient record is found and not only were some possibly illegal activities going on at the clinic but there is some sort of threat to the President. Swamp is tasked with evaluating the information and he is to determine whether the threat is real or not. If not real, it is a firefly and in Washington terms, slap it back down in the grass where it belongs.

Swamp begins to investigate and soon begins to discover evidence-circumstantial and coincidental in the eyes of others-that leads him to suspect this is no firefly but the real deal. Despite public statements to the contrary, control of turf and power still rule the day in Washington and as Swamp pursues his theory as tasked, he begins to lose allies and make powerful new enemies along the way. Those in power sending him out to investigate don't seem to care that he might be right and begin to openly question his judgment. They seem convinced that he is wrong but what if he is right?

This 387-page novel is classic Deutermann. This ninth novel of his features his usual high caliber tight writing with interesting characters and plenty of action. Then there is his ability to lay out the characters and the entire situation and then in a few short pages, flip everything over into a new direction before doing it again and again.

Much like Robert Ludlum did in his early novels, Deutermann creates a world where reality is far different from the perceived illusion. By coming up with wheels within wheels and multiple agendas by almost everyone else but the main character, one never really knows who the players are for real all the way to the last page of his book. In this case, make sure you set aside enough time to finish the last 100 pages in one reading because it is one heck of an intense roller coaster style thrill ride.

Rating:
Summary: Great Deutermann!
Review: Firefly is a great thriller and, for me, was gripping through out. Recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent book, but full of jargon
Review: I enjoy reading P.T. Deutermann's books.
I am a US Navy veteran, and reading military type fiction is something I enjoy.

This book seems like it would be good to a general "thriller" type audience - it is very well written, the characters are vivid, and the story rolls on like a locomotive.

One thing to note, however, is that this book is full of military and government-speak. Acronyms and jargon are present on practically every page. I can see where it would be possible to get lost in the myriad of government terms and slang.

Also, there were several typos in the edition that I read. To me, this is inexcusable in a widely published book.

Overall though, I found this book very enjoyable. The ending - I won't tell!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent book, but full of jargon
Review: I enjoy reading P.T. Deutermann's books.
I am a US Navy veteran, and reading military type fiction is something I enjoy.

This book seems like it would be good to a general "thriller" type audience - it is very well written, the characters are vivid, and the story rolls on like a locomotive.

One thing to note, however, is that this book is full of military and government-speak. Acronyms and jargon are present on practically every page. I can see where it would be possible to get lost in the myriad of government terms and slang.

Also, there were several typos in the edition that I read. To me, this is inexcusable in a widely published book.

Overall though, I found this book very enjoyable. The ending - I won't tell!

Rating:
Summary: Top notch thriller
Review: I have read all of Mr. Deutermann's novels and this is the best one to date. Great plot, gripping story and believable characters make for an exciting, quick paced read. The plot is very timely in this post 9/11 world. At first the ending seemed a little preposterous, but after thinking about it, I can see something like that happening.

I look forward to Mr. Deutermann's next novel.

Rating:
Summary: Book on CD
Review: I listened to this book on CD with Dick Hill reading. First, Mr Hill is one of is not the best book reader out there; especially with Frank Muller not reading anymore so I figured it must be a decent book if he was the reader. I was really impressed with how the book was written and the detail, action, ect. Definitely a MUST READ!

Rating:
Summary: Best Christmas present you could buy for a loved one!!!!!!!
Review: Lets get right to the point,you can read what the book is about,
in the above reviews.What i can tell you ,this book is the best
book written this year.Deutermann,is the best story teller,in
the U. S. today.FIREFLY,is even better than HUNTING SEASON. I
did not think he could top that book .Deutermann just gets better and better.If you are looking for a [book] gift for this season
of the year, buy this book ,that person will be thrilled that you picked this one.Its the best of the best!!!!!!!!!

Rating:
Summary: A Top-Notch Thriller
Review: See book description above.

The conclusion almost made up for the rather less than gripping majority of the novel. The timeliness and some of the twists made it worth reading but I hope for a better novel on the next go round. I noticed a few errors in editing also.