An intriguing page-turner
Rating:
5 / 5
Ron Cutler has received a Edgar Allan Poe Award nomination for his novel The Seventh Sacrament, and a Progy Award for The Firstborn, an occult thriller. His screenplay Article 99 starred Kiefer Sutherland and Ray Liotta. Past lifetime occupations include law and teaching. The Ides Of March is his ninth novel.There is nothing like chemical warfare, also known as bio-terrorism, to make a reader sit up and take notice. Cutler's hero McCord is a National Security Agency operative, James Bondian in his loneliness and single-minded approach to his job: "McCord was an alien species among the bishops and queens of Intelligence who prowled their dark corridors of secrecy and whose world was anonymous and imprecise. McCord had too many times violated their rules of misdirection and innuendo. There was something too laser like, too narrow and precise in McCord's definition of moral certitude. So they steered clear of him, when what he presented to them required a force of will they were unwilling or unable to muster. But they drew him close again, when that force became necessary, and too often called upon him to provide it." When people in a small Ugandan community start dying mysteriously, the agency suspects Russian black market tactics of some strange bio killer. McCord is sent in to investigate. Dr. Kate Atwood, a bio weapons researcher teams up with McCord, and what they uncover is a substance that is not of this earth. It is McCord's job to find out whodunit, but not to embarrass anyone in the government. That proves to be a little hard to accomplish, since their foe turns out to be a renegade British agent. Cutler's new novel is an intriguing page-turner whose subject matter is so horrific that the reader is sure to be engrossed by page two. Cutler correctly pricks a theoretical hole in America's defenses, thereby setting himself up as one of the top authors of scientific intrigue. The Ides Of March has it all: a great love story; crisis pacing; and an evil that is hard to fathom. The ending will have the reader ignoring all worldly machinations to remain glued to the book. Shelley Glodowski, Reviewer
The scare lingers after the story is done
Rating:
5 / 5
Cutler writes in fiction's grandest tradition: the one that says a story should grab the reader by the throat, throw `em against the wall and dare `em to flinch. He uses the increasingly real threat of biological terrorism, a cast of unforgettable characters, and--an Edgar-nominee--a proven writer's sure hand. The protagonist's pursuit through the sketchy groups of the world's terrorist underground will ultimately satisfy the reader, even if it leaves him permanently worried about the loonies that lurk there.
Excellent book!
Rating:
5 / 5
McCord is an experienced intelligence officer with the National Security Agency. He is sent to the border of Ugandan and discovers an empty camp of what used to be a top secret camp full of Russian scientists. They had been testing and monitoring the experimental use of a new bio-weapon called the SV Strain. But terrorists had attacked the camp shortly before McCord arrived and stole the aluminum canisters containing the weapon. One case was blown open during the theft. The SV Strain had been released. All died instantly, except Kiernan. Kiernan became a carrier of a plague for which there was no cure! Dr. Kate Atwood, of the Army's special biological unit, joins McCord and they begin to track Kiernan by the bodies of people infected with the plague. But Kiernan is a highly trained intelligence officer with extensive field experience that was thought to be under deep cover. He had been, but not any longer! Kiernan knew he was dying. He intended to take the plague within himself, along with the two other canisters containing the SV Strain, to New York City. He would have revenge on a small group of people there, killing millions in the biggest holocaust of all time! ***** W-O-W! I am having trouble shaking this one off! I keep telling myself that this is a work of fiction. The scary thing is, the chances are high that something similar to the SV Strain is already out there and only an elite group working on it know! A well written story with a strong plot. There was bad editing in my copy, but it may be a "review copy", I can't tell. The story is fast paced and held my attention from the first page until the climactic ending. Highly recommended! *****
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