Rating: 
Summary: Not The walls of Jericho
Review: Twenty-five years ago, Jack Tyrell was better known as Jackie Terror as he led a terrorist group that used bombs to kill and maim people. He is back in action, stealing 50,000 gallons of a deadly explosive. His new vision of Manhattan makes his previous life as a Weatherman seem more like that of a meteorologist than a cold blooded killer. At the same time that Jackie's heist in Pennsylvania is taking place, Buck Torrey disappears. His daughter Liz Halprin and a former "student" Blaine McCracken seek to rescue him from his kidnappers. This pits them against Jackie, who demands $15 billion dollars or Manhattan island will no longer exist as we know it. Simply put, DEAD SIMPLE starts off great, but quickly turns into a poor version of the DIE HARD trilogy. That is too bad because halfway through this novel, classic was stamped all over it. Jon Land abruptly shuts down intriguing sub-plots and turns his interesting story line into one big violent pool that will please the Manson crowd. Readers who enjoy a lot of gore (not Al) and violence will love this tale. For many of the rest of us, we plead to Mr. Land to return to his classic, THE WALLS OF JERICHO, and rewrite the second half of DEAD SIMPLE in that same keen manner. Harriet Klausner
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