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Global Predator
High above the mountains of the North West Frontier, a Global Predator circles waiting to unleash its Hellfire missiles. The trail of Osama Bin Laden’s deputy, the elusive Egyptian terror master, Ayman al-Zawahiri has gone cold until a chance recording identified by a translator at the National Security Agency offers new clues. A special intelligence team assembles and plots to catch at him at a meeting with other high ranking al Qaeda leaders. In Pakistan’s beautiful Swat Valley, the local Taliban have been stepping up their attacks on anyone educating girls. English aid worker Sally is taken hostage while visiting one of her schools. When Wilkins, escaping his reckless trading mistakes at his London bank, is forced to rescue her, he finds himself trapped in a world of blind fear and terror. Only one person can now make sense of what is happening and stop a massacre of innocent schoolgirls.
About the Author
Jack MacLean is the pen name of a prize-winning former foreign correspondent for a British newspaper with first hand experience of Asia. He is the author of eight non-fiction works.
About the Author
Jack MacLean is the pen name of a prize-winning former foreign correspondent for a British newspaper with first hand experience of Asia. He is the author of eight non-fiction works.
- GenresFiction
374 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 12, 2014
202 people want to read
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September 23, 2014
Brit Lit
By Bob Gelms
I like reading British writers who write for a British audience because everything is a little askew as opposed to their American counterparts. This week we are reading, two books by British authors treating the thriller genre in two completely different ways; Global Predator by Jack MacLean and Ultimatum by Simon Kernick.
With these authors you should expect a few things; the spellings of certain words are different from the English spellings American authors use; the syntax is often different and not wrong (even though it seems to be what Mrs. Berry didn’t teach me in grammar school); and lastly, the jargon is especially British. I’m thankful the dictionary in my Kindle had almost all of the words. This does nothing for me but make the books more interesting. These days thrillers are almost always about terrorists. They used to be about serial killers. Times change.
Jack MacLean has written a number of nonfiction books and Global Predator is his first attempt at nonfiction. It’s simply splendid. He treats terrorism, more or less, from the standpoint of the terrorists. Wilkins has embezzled a bazillion dollars from his employer, a huge London bank. He gets word that they are on to him so he decides to go somewhere where it would be very hard to find him not to mention extradite him. His ex-girlfriend, Sally, works for a charity helping to build schools to educate girls in the Swat Valley in Afghanistan. He goes there thinking he can use her to hide out. One thing leads to another and he meets up with the head Taliban warlord for the area. Pretending to be a recent convert to Islam he befriends the Taliban so they will let him stay. He also donates enough money to choke a yak.
Wilkins is one of the global predators operating in the area. The other one is flying around, unseen and unheard, high overhead searching for the head of El Kaide, an Egyptian cleric who is suppose to be in the area for a conference of terrorists. This global predator is being controlled by the CIA. Making the plot even more interesting the London bank sends Wilkins co-conspirator to Afghanistan to bring Wilkins back. Throw all of that into the pan, mix thoroughly, and you wind up with a gourmet Thriller. It races forward like a Hellfire missile. Global Predator is a quick read because you won’t be able to put it down.
Ultimatum is the latest in a string of first-rate thrillers from British author and bestseller Simon Kernick. This is terrorism from the viewpoint of the coppers in London. Mr. Kernick lets events happen in the book that will amaze you. This isn’t like you average American thriller where the good guys save the day in the nick of time. This is a political story as much as anything and the central theme is immigration. Apparently London has a huge Muslim population. According to the home grown racists in England, who are not that much different than the home grown racists here in the USA, immigrants are taking all the jobs, sucking up money from government programs or are, as they say, “on the dole” and bringing terrorists into the country.
Two bombs go off killing coppers and innocent bystanders with a third bomb to go off in twelve hours unless their demands are met. It’s a terrifying race against time for Detective Inspector Mike Bolt and Deputy Commissioner Tina Boyd; two characters who have appeared in other Kernick novels. I guarantee you will not guess the identities of the terrorists until it is revealed about half way through the book. Mr. Kernick is known for his powerful story telling abilities. The pace is something like an Aston Martin DB5 with your foot on the floor and your hair on fire. It is relentless, a thriller of thrillers. The plot twists and surprises are designed to make you lose as much sleep as possible. I know I did. I read it in two sittings in a single 24-hour period. I started it last Sunday night got 6 hours of sleep then finished it Monday morning and then took a nap.
I must confess I had never read Simon Kernick before and I’m sure as heck putting a stop to that here and now. Simon Kenrick plus terrorists plus relatable characters who are flawed themselves and Bob’s your uncle - almost a perfect thriller. Cheerio!
By Bob Gelms
I like reading British writers who write for a British audience because everything is a little askew as opposed to their American counterparts. This week we are reading, two books by British authors treating the thriller genre in two completely different ways; Global Predator by Jack MacLean and Ultimatum by Simon Kernick.
With these authors you should expect a few things; the spellings of certain words are different from the English spellings American authors use; the syntax is often different and not wrong (even though it seems to be what Mrs. Berry didn’t teach me in grammar school); and lastly, the jargon is especially British. I’m thankful the dictionary in my Kindle had almost all of the words. This does nothing for me but make the books more interesting. These days thrillers are almost always about terrorists. They used to be about serial killers. Times change.
Jack MacLean has written a number of nonfiction books and Global Predator is his first attempt at nonfiction. It’s simply splendid. He treats terrorism, more or less, from the standpoint of the terrorists. Wilkins has embezzled a bazillion dollars from his employer, a huge London bank. He gets word that they are on to him so he decides to go somewhere where it would be very hard to find him not to mention extradite him. His ex-girlfriend, Sally, works for a charity helping to build schools to educate girls in the Swat Valley in Afghanistan. He goes there thinking he can use her to hide out. One thing leads to another and he meets up with the head Taliban warlord for the area. Pretending to be a recent convert to Islam he befriends the Taliban so they will let him stay. He also donates enough money to choke a yak.
Wilkins is one of the global predators operating in the area. The other one is flying around, unseen and unheard, high overhead searching for the head of El Kaide, an Egyptian cleric who is suppose to be in the area for a conference of terrorists. This global predator is being controlled by the CIA. Making the plot even more interesting the London bank sends Wilkins co-conspirator to Afghanistan to bring Wilkins back. Throw all of that into the pan, mix thoroughly, and you wind up with a gourmet Thriller. It races forward like a Hellfire missile. Global Predator is a quick read because you won’t be able to put it down.
Ultimatum is the latest in a string of first-rate thrillers from British author and bestseller Simon Kernick. This is terrorism from the viewpoint of the coppers in London. Mr. Kernick lets events happen in the book that will amaze you. This isn’t like you average American thriller where the good guys save the day in the nick of time. This is a political story as much as anything and the central theme is immigration. Apparently London has a huge Muslim population. According to the home grown racists in England, who are not that much different than the home grown racists here in the USA, immigrants are taking all the jobs, sucking up money from government programs or are, as they say, “on the dole” and bringing terrorists into the country.
Two bombs go off killing coppers and innocent bystanders with a third bomb to go off in twelve hours unless their demands are met. It’s a terrifying race against time for Detective Inspector Mike Bolt and Deputy Commissioner Tina Boyd; two characters who have appeared in other Kernick novels. I guarantee you will not guess the identities of the terrorists until it is revealed about half way through the book. Mr. Kernick is known for his powerful story telling abilities. The pace is something like an Aston Martin DB5 with your foot on the floor and your hair on fire. It is relentless, a thriller of thrillers. The plot twists and surprises are designed to make you lose as much sleep as possible. I know I did. I read it in two sittings in a single 24-hour period. I started it last Sunday night got 6 hours of sleep then finished it Monday morning and then took a nap.
I must confess I had never read Simon Kernick before and I’m sure as heck putting a stop to that here and now. Simon Kenrick plus terrorists plus relatable characters who are flawed themselves and Bob’s your uncle - almost a perfect thriller. Cheerio!
August 22, 2014
“Global Predator” was published in 2014 and was written by Jack Maclean. This is Mr. Maclean’s first novel.
I obtained this novel for free in advance through https://www.netgalley.com for review. This is a Thriller and I would rate this novel as ‘PG’ as there is some Mature Language. The novel is written in the third person and is set in many places, though most of it is set in Pakistan. Though there are numerous other characters, the primary characters are Stoner and Wilkins, both bankers from London.
Wilkins is a Phd physicist who specialized in quantum physics. He was recruited by Stoner from the Grosvenor Bank to apply his understanding of quantum physics to game theory in order to find patterns for probabilities and apply them to the financial market. Wilkins applied his knowledge well, and he and Stoner were very successful.
Stoner was a banker and saw Wilkin’s special mathematical knowledge as a way to gain a leg up on the competition. He also saw how he and Wilkins could utilize a hole in the banks procedures to make themselves very wealthy. When Wilkins disappears, the bank sends him in search of Wilkins.
Having made millions Wilson begins to fear that Stoner is about to turn him in to the bank. He stashed the funds in off shore accounts and decides to disappear. By chance, he runs into Sally Hodges, an old girlfriend who has returned to London from Pakistan. She is in London struggling to get more funding for the charitable agency she works for which is setting up schools and encouraging the education of girls in Pakistan. Wilkins sees playing the role of a potential benefactor and going to visit her in Pakistan as a subtle way of totally disappearing. With a lot of cash, he quietly leaves London and heads for Pakistan’s Swat Valley.
Concurrent with this Al Queda and Taliban leaders are organizing a conference in the Swat Valley to plan their next set of moves. American intelligence finds hints of the meeting and begins to focus on finding where the meeting will be held. Much of the data they gather is from Global Predator drones in the air over Pakistan.
Before long Wilkins, Stoner, the Al Queda and Taliban leaders are all within a few miles of one another in the Swat Valley. Things get complicated as they try to use one another to achieve their separate goals. American intelligence is meanwhile trying to pinpoint where the Al Queda and Taliban leaders will be so that they can target them with Hellfire missiles from a Global Predator drone.
I spent about 6.5 hours reading this novel and I think that the characters were well developed. Certainly the character of Wilkins evolved over the course of the novel. The basic plot was not bad, but I thought it was rather slow for the first 85% of the story. I give this novel a 4 (actually closer to 3.5, but I will round it up) out of 5.
Further book reviews I have written can be accessed at http://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/.
I obtained this novel for free in advance through https://www.netgalley.com for review. This is a Thriller and I would rate this novel as ‘PG’ as there is some Mature Language. The novel is written in the third person and is set in many places, though most of it is set in Pakistan. Though there are numerous other characters, the primary characters are Stoner and Wilkins, both bankers from London.
Wilkins is a Phd physicist who specialized in quantum physics. He was recruited by Stoner from the Grosvenor Bank to apply his understanding of quantum physics to game theory in order to find patterns for probabilities and apply them to the financial market. Wilkins applied his knowledge well, and he and Stoner were very successful.
Stoner was a banker and saw Wilkin’s special mathematical knowledge as a way to gain a leg up on the competition. He also saw how he and Wilkins could utilize a hole in the banks procedures to make themselves very wealthy. When Wilkins disappears, the bank sends him in search of Wilkins.
Having made millions Wilson begins to fear that Stoner is about to turn him in to the bank. He stashed the funds in off shore accounts and decides to disappear. By chance, he runs into Sally Hodges, an old girlfriend who has returned to London from Pakistan. She is in London struggling to get more funding for the charitable agency she works for which is setting up schools and encouraging the education of girls in Pakistan. Wilkins sees playing the role of a potential benefactor and going to visit her in Pakistan as a subtle way of totally disappearing. With a lot of cash, he quietly leaves London and heads for Pakistan’s Swat Valley.
Concurrent with this Al Queda and Taliban leaders are organizing a conference in the Swat Valley to plan their next set of moves. American intelligence finds hints of the meeting and begins to focus on finding where the meeting will be held. Much of the data they gather is from Global Predator drones in the air over Pakistan.
Before long Wilkins, Stoner, the Al Queda and Taliban leaders are all within a few miles of one another in the Swat Valley. Things get complicated as they try to use one another to achieve their separate goals. American intelligence is meanwhile trying to pinpoint where the Al Queda and Taliban leaders will be so that they can target them with Hellfire missiles from a Global Predator drone.
I spent about 6.5 hours reading this novel and I think that the characters were well developed. Certainly the character of Wilkins evolved over the course of the novel. The basic plot was not bad, but I thought it was rather slow for the first 85% of the story. I give this novel a 4 (actually closer to 3.5, but I will round it up) out of 5.
Further book reviews I have written can be accessed at http://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/.
September 1, 2014
Global Predator has a double meaning in this novel. First there are the American's and their Predator air force that is bringing lots of hurt on the Taliban and other terrorist around the world. A Predator can fly anywhere for long periods of time without having a pilot on board. It can take images, live video feeds and linger for hours / days on end to allow the intelligence community to make decisions about what they want to target or whom they want to target.
Now let's talk about another Predator, a Financial Genius Predator. Grosvenor Bank has hired a man named Wilkens who is a Physics major and mathematical whiz. He develops an algorithm that allows the bank to manipulate the marketplace and produce profits far outweighing anything they have ever done. But he is a Predator in that he also has used the banks money to do trades for his own profit that have generated millions of profit that is going into his private account while using the Bank's money as the capital. They don't even know it.
Now for other types of Predator's, there are the Taliban leaders in Pakistan that are terrorizing local villages and preying on the people for food, shelter, weapons and power. They are attacking and closing or burning schools that have been set up to teach girls how to read and write. These schools are being built, funded, and run by a British woman, Sally, who is dedicated to seeing the girls get educated.
All forces come together in Pakistan to bring about an interesting set of circumstances that draw all the predators into the Swat Valley where the U.S. Military is trying to kill two terrorist, Maulana Fazlullah and Ayman al-Zawahiri. These two men are top leaders in the terrorist movement. But they are also in the Swat Valley and Sally and Wilkens will come across them in their pursuit of educating young girls.
As the tension grows who will be the one to bring death and destruction upon Sally, Wilkens and the schools for girls? Will it be the U.S. Military and their drone program, or will it be Maulana Fazlullah and the local Taliban or Ayman al-Zawahiri and the global Taliban group?
Maclean has a good writing style and provides a good interesting story and plot line. He is British and that causes a bit of a problem. His English is not the same as American English. So, some terms are a bit different and cause you to have to read more carefully.
The reason for only 4 stars and not 5 is the difference in English and also the lack of a good editor to catch the typo's and double word use and the repeated words in a sentence. It seems to me that the publisher needs to get a better proofreader.
While distracting those things do not take away from the good story line.
Enjoy!
Now let's talk about another Predator, a Financial Genius Predator. Grosvenor Bank has hired a man named Wilkens who is a Physics major and mathematical whiz. He develops an algorithm that allows the bank to manipulate the marketplace and produce profits far outweighing anything they have ever done. But he is a Predator in that he also has used the banks money to do trades for his own profit that have generated millions of profit that is going into his private account while using the Bank's money as the capital. They don't even know it.
Now for other types of Predator's, there are the Taliban leaders in Pakistan that are terrorizing local villages and preying on the people for food, shelter, weapons and power. They are attacking and closing or burning schools that have been set up to teach girls how to read and write. These schools are being built, funded, and run by a British woman, Sally, who is dedicated to seeing the girls get educated.
All forces come together in Pakistan to bring about an interesting set of circumstances that draw all the predators into the Swat Valley where the U.S. Military is trying to kill two terrorist, Maulana Fazlullah and Ayman al-Zawahiri. These two men are top leaders in the terrorist movement. But they are also in the Swat Valley and Sally and Wilkens will come across them in their pursuit of educating young girls.
As the tension grows who will be the one to bring death and destruction upon Sally, Wilkens and the schools for girls? Will it be the U.S. Military and their drone program, or will it be Maulana Fazlullah and the local Taliban or Ayman al-Zawahiri and the global Taliban group?
Maclean has a good writing style and provides a good interesting story and plot line. He is British and that causes a bit of a problem. His English is not the same as American English. So, some terms are a bit different and cause you to have to read more carefully.
The reason for only 4 stars and not 5 is the difference in English and also the lack of a good editor to catch the typo's and double word use and the repeated words in a sentence. It seems to me that the publisher needs to get a better proofreader.
While distracting those things do not take away from the good story line.
Enjoy!
August 8, 2014
I received a copy of this book by the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book isn't the kind of book which I would normally choose to read. If I saw this book in a library, it wouldn't be a book that I would pick up from a shelf. Having said that, I thought that I'd give this book a go and it had a great front cover, so why not really? Unfortunately, it really didn't live up to the initial expectations which I had for the book.
Set in Pakistan and England, 'Global Predator' tells the story of several characters whose stories interweave at various points. Sally is an English woman whose made it her mission let girls have access to the resources, schools and education which they rightfully deserve in Pakistan. At the same time, the Taliban are intent on just the opposite, they're bombing schools in order to prevent girls from becoming educated. With banking scandals, avoiding detection and American military and no safety makes Pakistan a scary place to be.
Oh there were so many silly problems with the book. The characters had so much potential, but they were let down by Macleans writing at times. I found it really hard to get into the book initially and it took a while for it to become a bit more well paced. There's lots of silly typing errors and it just made the whole reading process slower and much less fun. The story at times was predictable, especially the ending.
My reaction at the end of reading this book can be simply summed up by the following gif:
Oh the ending was so predictable, it's really quite sad. I was hoping it was going to get better and it just didn't.
If you tend to like books about war, fighting and suspense you may well enjoy it. It just wasn't my cup of tea.
This book isn't the kind of book which I would normally choose to read. If I saw this book in a library, it wouldn't be a book that I would pick up from a shelf. Having said that, I thought that I'd give this book a go and it had a great front cover, so why not really? Unfortunately, it really didn't live up to the initial expectations which I had for the book.
Set in Pakistan and England, 'Global Predator' tells the story of several characters whose stories interweave at various points. Sally is an English woman whose made it her mission let girls have access to the resources, schools and education which they rightfully deserve in Pakistan. At the same time, the Taliban are intent on just the opposite, they're bombing schools in order to prevent girls from becoming educated. With banking scandals, avoiding detection and American military and no safety makes Pakistan a scary place to be.
Oh there were so many silly problems with the book. The characters had so much potential, but they were let down by Macleans writing at times. I found it really hard to get into the book initially and it took a while for it to become a bit more well paced. There's lots of silly typing errors and it just made the whole reading process slower and much less fun. The story at times was predictable, especially the ending.
My reaction at the end of reading this book can be simply summed up by the following gif:
Oh the ending was so predictable, it's really quite sad. I was hoping it was going to get better and it just didn't.
If you tend to like books about war, fighting and suspense you may well enjoy it. It just wasn't my cup of tea.
December 12, 2014
In the tribal area of the North West Frontier in Pakistan, the Americans are hunting one of Al-Queda’s chief deputies. With the killing of Osama Bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri has become a prime target. He is hidden someplace in the mountains where only hum-intel can find him. But a new generation of drones may make it easier to pinpoint him.
Working in the Swat Valley, Sally (an English aid worker) is helping to build schools to educate young women and girls. The local Taliban is not happy with this development and has targeted her and her schools. The local people are enthusiastic about Sally’s work and with her help build a school in the town where she is based. An ex-boyfriend of her’s (Wilkins) has had to escape from London after getting involved in a trading ‘scam’. He figures that they’ll never look for him in the Swat Valley.
Obsessed with teaching Sally, and her girls a lesson, the local Taliban attacks and takes over the village schoolgirls. They threaten to kill the hostages unless the town agrees to close the school. Wilkins has gotten involved with the local warlord and is hoping that they will free the girls.
The US has learned from an informer, that a meeting of high ranking al-Queda officials is about to take place not too far from Sally’s town. If the Special Forces Team waiting to attack the meeting is used to free the girls, they will lose the element of surprise and have to assume that the meeting (which will include al-Zawahiri) will be called off. Is there a way for the Team to do both? If not, the Taliban will likely kill Sally and all of her girls.
Not very original, nor very well written. Most of Maclean’s characters are either two dimensional or so stereotypical as to be comical. The situation of Wilkins and the bank is way too contrived to be plausible.
Zeb Kantrowitz zworstblog.blogspot.com
Working in the Swat Valley, Sally (an English aid worker) is helping to build schools to educate young women and girls. The local Taliban is not happy with this development and has targeted her and her schools. The local people are enthusiastic about Sally’s work and with her help build a school in the town where she is based. An ex-boyfriend of her’s (Wilkins) has had to escape from London after getting involved in a trading ‘scam’. He figures that they’ll never look for him in the Swat Valley.
Obsessed with teaching Sally, and her girls a lesson, the local Taliban attacks and takes over the village schoolgirls. They threaten to kill the hostages unless the town agrees to close the school. Wilkins has gotten involved with the local warlord and is hoping that they will free the girls.
The US has learned from an informer, that a meeting of high ranking al-Queda officials is about to take place not too far from Sally’s town. If the Special Forces Team waiting to attack the meeting is used to free the girls, they will lose the element of surprise and have to assume that the meeting (which will include al-Zawahiri) will be called off. Is there a way for the Team to do both? If not, the Taliban will likely kill Sally and all of her girls.
Not very original, nor very well written. Most of Maclean’s characters are either two dimensional or so stereotypical as to be comical. The situation of Wilkins and the bank is way too contrived to be plausible.
Zeb Kantrowitz zworstblog.blogspot.com
May 19, 2023
Global Predator by Jack Maclean
302 Pages
Publisher: AuthorBuzz, Legend Publishing
Release Date: June 19, 2014
Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Middle East, Terrorism, Banking, Financial, Aid Workers, Action, Adventure
Wilkins is a quantum physicist. He gets roped into a banking scam to skim of money. When the bank notices a discrepancy, Wilkins goes on the run. He looks for a place without extradition to the United Kingdom. He decides if no one can find terrorists in Pakistan, that is the place to go. He remembers an ex-girlfriend is an aid worker there, so he contacts her. Since he has a bunch of cash and she needs funding, he uses that as the reason for his reason to come out there.
The book has a steady pace, the characters are developed, and it is written in the third person point of view. The author has a descriptive writing style to make the reader feel they are there. Wilkins is certainly a character. He grows throughout the story. If you like action-adventure stories with some terrorism, you will enjoy this book.
302 Pages
Publisher: AuthorBuzz, Legend Publishing
Release Date: June 19, 2014
Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Middle East, Terrorism, Banking, Financial, Aid Workers, Action, Adventure
Wilkins is a quantum physicist. He gets roped into a banking scam to skim of money. When the bank notices a discrepancy, Wilkins goes on the run. He looks for a place without extradition to the United Kingdom. He decides if no one can find terrorists in Pakistan, that is the place to go. He remembers an ex-girlfriend is an aid worker there, so he contacts her. Since he has a bunch of cash and she needs funding, he uses that as the reason for his reason to come out there.
The book has a steady pace, the characters are developed, and it is written in the third person point of view. The author has a descriptive writing style to make the reader feel they are there. Wilkins is certainly a character. He grows throughout the story. If you like action-adventure stories with some terrorism, you will enjoy this book.
February 15, 2015
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Global Predator is a fast paced, detailed political thriller, exploring contemporary terrorism in a remote, hard to reach region of Pakistan. Interwoven with themes currently popular in the media; the inequality girls' face to receive even basic education; the vulnerability of aid workers, the lack of regulation in investment banking and the use of drones to launch missile attacks on suspected terrorists.
It doesn't contain overly graphic violent scenes, which is unusual in a thriller of this type, but the story is still vivid and keeps you guessing. The multi points of view used to tell the story are well written and keep the pacing tight, removing the need for unnecessary narrative. The characters appear stereotypical at times, especially the terrorists. Even so, the story is easy to read and suspenseful enough to keep you turning the pages.
I received a copy of this book from Author Buzz Legend Publishing via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Jack Maclean
October 20, 2014
Global Predator by Jack MacLean
The use of drones is highly controversial. This author takes that current controversy and turns it into an entertaining novel. The unlikely combination of a talented financial dilettante and a dewy eyed altruist provide the two main characters. The stage is the Swat valley, an administrative district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistan.
The book provides a modicum of hope through the portrayal of the bulk of the Taliban and al-qaeda as regional thugs more focused on local religious control rather than global domination. The local people are more enlightened than normally seen in TV and book portrayals. They want education for their kids, not just their male children but their female children as well.
The financial aspects were interesting. The lack of moral values in financial traders seemed a bit stereo-typical. Wilkins was not likeable, even when he was doing something that ended up good. Self centered egotism is far too mild a description for his character. Sally seemed very realistic. Noting the people willing to put their lives on the line with the Ebola crisis, it isn't a stretch to see Sally willing to do the same.
The use of the Predators and their targeting foibles certainly supports the Humint factors in the government. All too often what you see isn't actually what you think you see.
The book provided some thought provoking moments.
I recommend the book.
The use of drones is highly controversial. This author takes that current controversy and turns it into an entertaining novel. The unlikely combination of a talented financial dilettante and a dewy eyed altruist provide the two main characters. The stage is the Swat valley, an administrative district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistan.
The book provides a modicum of hope through the portrayal of the bulk of the Taliban and al-qaeda as regional thugs more focused on local religious control rather than global domination. The local people are more enlightened than normally seen in TV and book portrayals. They want education for their kids, not just their male children but their female children as well.
The financial aspects were interesting. The lack of moral values in financial traders seemed a bit stereo-typical. Wilkins was not likeable, even when he was doing something that ended up good. Self centered egotism is far too mild a description for his character. Sally seemed very realistic. Noting the people willing to put their lives on the line with the Ebola crisis, it isn't a stretch to see Sally willing to do the same.
The use of the Predators and their targeting foibles certainly supports the Humint factors in the government. All too often what you see isn't actually what you think you see.
The book provided some thought provoking moments.
I recommend the book.
August 8, 2014
Set in the current era, this book chronicles how lives in different parts of the world coalesce to impact on villages in the Swat Valley. Sally is a young, enthusiastic aid worker striving to support the development of schools for girls in the region despite opposition and threats from the Taliban. The story tells how she relates to others, the impact of her relationships with them and what happens when Taliban leaders- and the US military - become involved locally. The use of technological warfare and the people controlling it, also plays a pivotal role in the story. There is a lot of background information given in the story to really set the scene and develop the understanding of readers about just what it is like for the locals living under threat and with very little support in the region.
The story is related from the points of view of different key characters and initially that was disconcerting but soon made sense as I quickly started to realise how they related to each other. There are lots of unexpected elements in the story which keeps the reader totally enthralled and engaged. I'm very glad the publishers and NetGalley gave me access to this book as I admit this is not the sort of book that I normally choose to read but, despite that, I found the characters and setting descriptions fantastic and the whole story believable, a great read!
The story is related from the points of view of different key characters and initially that was disconcerting but soon made sense as I quickly started to realise how they related to each other. There are lots of unexpected elements in the story which keeps the reader totally enthralled and engaged. I'm very glad the publishers and NetGalley gave me access to this book as I admit this is not the sort of book that I normally choose to read but, despite that, I found the characters and setting descriptions fantastic and the whole story believable, a great read!
August 10, 2014
Setting: Northwest Pakistan.
US CIA drones are searching for Al-Awahairi, Al Qaeda leader, the master-mind of 911 in northwest Pakistan.
Sally, a British aid worker helps set up schools for girls, which is forbidden by the Taliban. When one of the schools for girls is taken over by the Taliban, Sally suddenly finds herself a hostage. Her ex-boyfriend, Wilkins, is on the run after scamming the bank he worked for in London. Wilkins finds himself in the midst of having to choose between running away or taking up arms to rescue Sally.
With all the unrest in the Middle East, I found myself drawn to this book. As I turned the pages I wondered how much of this could actually be true? It had enough truth sound to it to keep me turning the pages. I found myself holding my breath wondering what I would find on the next page and how the story would truly unfold. At times I did find it hard to follow as it jumped from character to charcter.
I was pleasantly surprised because I thought it would be 100% political but it had a great plot with enough mystery and intrigue to keep it fast-paced.
Disclosure: I was given a copy of this eBook by the publisher, Legend Publishing, through NetGalley blogger program for review. I was not required to write a favorable review nor was I compensated for my review. The opinions in this review are my own.
US CIA drones are searching for Al-Awahairi, Al Qaeda leader, the master-mind of 911 in northwest Pakistan.
Sally, a British aid worker helps set up schools for girls, which is forbidden by the Taliban. When one of the schools for girls is taken over by the Taliban, Sally suddenly finds herself a hostage. Her ex-boyfriend, Wilkins, is on the run after scamming the bank he worked for in London. Wilkins finds himself in the midst of having to choose between running away or taking up arms to rescue Sally.
With all the unrest in the Middle East, I found myself drawn to this book. As I turned the pages I wondered how much of this could actually be true? It had enough truth sound to it to keep me turning the pages. I found myself holding my breath wondering what I would find on the next page and how the story would truly unfold. At times I did find it hard to follow as it jumped from character to charcter.
I was pleasantly surprised because I thought it would be 100% political but it had a great plot with enough mystery and intrigue to keep it fast-paced.
Disclosure: I was given a copy of this eBook by the publisher, Legend Publishing, through NetGalley blogger program for review. I was not required to write a favorable review nor was I compensated for my review. The opinions in this review are my own.
August 12, 2014
Given To Me For An Honest Review
This book is one that mirrors what is going on with our world today. As I read it I wondered is it really fiction or is it non-fiction? That is how fantastic Jack MacLean wrote it. This book has a great plot with just enough mystery and intrigue to keep the story fast paced. You will keep the pages turning. The story involves just ordinary people in a situation that they could not understand nor could they control. The ending is unbelievable. I gave it 5 stars but I wish I could give it more. I highly recommend it to all. I hope to read more from Jack MacLean. This is a fabulous read.
This book is one that mirrors what is going on with our world today. As I read it I wondered is it really fiction or is it non-fiction? That is how fantastic Jack MacLean wrote it. This book has a great plot with just enough mystery and intrigue to keep the story fast paced. You will keep the pages turning. The story involves just ordinary people in a situation that they could not understand nor could they control. The ending is unbelievable. I gave it 5 stars but I wish I could give it more. I highly recommend it to all. I hope to read more from Jack MacLean. This is a fabulous read.
August 7, 2014
This is a provocative story dealing with the latest technology in the war o terror. The story proceeds well and keeps the reader in suspense as the plot develops. The narrative jumps to different locations and characters, which was a little disconcerting in the beginning, but quickly became all right once the relationship between the characters was established. I would have liked a little more descriptive material in some places, but overall the writing is clear and communicating. The characters were not the super heroes of some books, but real people with real strengths and weaknesses.
October 11, 2014
This novel was at first difficult to get engrossed in because I was unable to sort the characters out. I think this was because of the jumping back and forth in time and place. However, once the characters all fell into place for me, I enjoyed the storyline of war and the fight that very much felt like current day events. The book reminds us that even though we may be at war with a country, there are always innocent people in that country that need the strength and determination of someone who cares to help them.
ARC provided by NetGalley
ARC provided by NetGalley
January 11, 2015
A real page turner! Sally is helping to raise literacy levels in Pakistan, in the Swat Valley, not the safest environment. Schools are being attacked by those who do not approve of girls being educated, nor the interference of infidels who are making their education possible. The Taliban are executing people who do not follow their orders.
At the same time the area is under surveillance. Drones are being used, in the hopes of finding and wiping out members of al-Qaeda.
With its many twists and turns this is an exciting read, highly recommended.
At the same time the area is under surveillance. Drones are being used, in the hopes of finding and wiping out members of al-Qaeda.
With its many twists and turns this is an exciting read, highly recommended.
February 2, 2015
I won this from a Goodreads giveaway. The story line itself was pretty good, but the book had a lot of grammatical errors ( sentences had a lot of word errors) and it makes the story somewhat hard to read.
December 1, 2014
Darlene Dufrene-estay This is a very interesting book. Makes you feel life you are living the story. I recommend it to everyone. great read! thanks
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