Situated in between the northern borders of Iraq and Iran just south of Armenia, the Kurds fight for sovereignty for their small nation, but it is a constant losing battle for their people. Fifteen years ago a family was inadvertently bombed and killed by coalition forces on a mountain side in Kurdistan. As usual the remaining son will never look at the world with the same innocence he once did. With no home, no family, or great cause, a fanatic was born and with the “right” guidance a radical will be groomed, and over time a global tyrant with a number of minions will help bring “justice” to the three countries responsible for their miscalculation and dreadful mistake.
“As you said yourself, one man’s freedom fighter is another man’s terrorist. We are the freedom fighters for the poor; the ones who can’t afford to rise up. We will extort money from the rich, not to give to the poor but to fund our campaigns of terror against the imperialist pigs. Now stay out of my sight, or you will be the next person I use to demonstrate our ruthlessness.”
06.12 a 91 SAM-2 Surface to Air missile launcher is powered and ready for deployment while floating around in the Atlantis Marina in Boston. 06.30 commuter flights from New York to Logan International Airport presented the right target within a stringent list of parameters sent by Control. At exactly 06.32 Delta 367 the Boeing 737-800 ascended into the air and was immediately struck the passenger plane killing one hundred and fifty eight people.
06.13 Bognor Regis commuter train traveling over the London Bridge destined for London abruptly buckles at the military grade explosion of a nail bomb sending it into the high-rising and rapid Thames River killing several hundred innocent civilians.
At 09.30 a nail bomb was let off at Paris Metro in between the stops of the Louvre and Port Neuf along the route commonly taken by tourists. It is initially reported by the French Police as a gas explosion that suggestion was quickly quieted given the number of deaths and the presence of shrapnel.
Sixteen-liter Mack Titan 605hp is abandoned on the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. Demolishing an iconic landmark would make quite the statement on USA’s current foreign policy, and using a fertilizer based bomb would only rub their noses in it. With very few civilian deaths this situation was seen as a way to make a big statement and help inspire terrorists with the same ideology across the globe.
With no organization taking responsibility for the global atrocities, government and investigative officials are at a loss of where to turn. Enter Max Thatcher and his security company Falcon Services. Notorious for handling investigation matters with a heavy hand, Max has been called on by the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Gordon Walker. After the tragic death of his girlfriend Clare, Max has taken a step back and has handed over the day-to-day operations to Patrick. After receiving a call from Admiral Walker he feels this job commands his attention and with his team of Gregory, Pete, Fiona, François, and Patrick they will travel to the hot spots and try to put an end to the madness.
“You are not a terrorist, you live by the rules that society have defined. Thus, my friend, your whole value system is completely different; you see a person on a train, a terrorist simply sees nothing but a means of delivering a message. Where as you see individuals with families and normal lives, a bomber sees an opportunity to spread fear and chaos…These bastards don’t care about life, least of all their own. They do not want to conform to our way of life, they want to undermine and destroy it.”
Like a gradual progression you would expect in an author’s development, this third book in the Max Thatcher series is by far the best of the bunch. The accessibility of the content is their without sacrificing the author’s knowledge regarding varying subject matter. I found in the first book “Gatekeeper” the technological conversation was more difficult to comprehend, but this book kept the action going at a quick pace. I also enjoy how you start at various points on the globe and by the end of the story everyone has met in the middle. It is a consistent execution measure for the author and one that assists in building the momentum of the story. I look forward to reading what the author has in store for Max Thatcher and the grand finale.
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