World Without End

Rating:
Summary: No Sophomore Jinx
Review: After Mooney’s first book, DEVIANT WAYS, I was anxious for the publication of this second effort. WORLD is as good as if not better than DEVIANT WAYS. There are no flat portions in this novel. Mooney’s character development is excellent. This story has some nice surprises that aren’t totally predictable. This is a must read for readers of the “serious thriller” variety. Here is the basic plot: Stephen Conway is an operative for the CIA and Raymond Bouchard a father figure/mentor type is Stephen’s handler. Conway is an orphan and that experience defines his strengths and weaknesses throughout the novel. Bouchard has Stephen on the trail of an elusive arch villain with the CIA code name of Angel Eyes. (The end of the cold war has not left writers of this genre without formidable foes). It seems that Angel Eyes has an unlimited source of funds that he uses to steal the latest weapons technology from private research efforts. Angel Eyes latest project is to secure a suit that makes its wearer invisible (this is fiction remember). Stephen’s job is to prevent the theft. Well, it seems that Angel Eye’s isn’t the only one interested in securing the suit. The non-stop action flows from how all of this plays out. The other characters in the cast include double agents, the FBI, turncoats, urban street gangs and some Russian mafia types: quite an interesting mix. There is an awful lot of double-dealing, sellouts and betrayal to keep the reader locked into all of the intrigue. You will have difficulty putting this book down before the last page is read.

Now, if we could only get Mooney to write a story centered on the mysterious and intriguing Malcolm Fletcher. Fletcher makes a brief appearance here but loomed large in DEVIANT WAYS.

Rating:
Summary: literary equivalent of a Jerry Bruckheimer film
Review: I have to admit right off that I only got about a hundred pages into this novel before I quit. Though the premise was interesting (Mooney is very knowledgeable about technology), Mooney falls short in the psychology department. His characters lack convincing depth and detail, and I felt like I was reading a novelization of a Hollywood movie. The fact that he took a couple chapters to describe a parachute jump didn't help. I just didn't feel it was worth the time and effort to slog through another 400 pages.

Rating:
Summary: THE CIA IS OOL
Review: Mooney's follow up to his excellent DEVIANT WAYS is so full of villains, double agents, and dastardly deeds, it's hard to keep up with them all. But Mooney's clever enough to keep the scorecard easily tabulated. One reviewer mentioned how glum the hero Steve Conway is. Granted, but take a look at his life, and you might see why he's so aloof and downtrodden. More than anything, Conway possesses the loyalty and dedication to take the risks necessitated in this cannon-fired thriller. Take a look at the villains (and I can't name them all as it would spoil the plot): Angel Eyes --- is he as bad as he seems? Gunther, his assistant; Mischa, the gigantic Russian; Jonathan Cole, a despicable earchewing maniac; Owen Lee/Chris Evans, along for a ride he's not prepared for. Are all the heroes the heroes they appear to be? Will Steve ever get a real break? Mooney keeps his labyrnthine plot moving and is an excellent technological thriller. Highly recommended.