Christopher Whitcomb

Would you expect your garden-variety thriller -- one filled with the nuances of the fairly secretive FBI Hostage Rescue Team, plus a Washington senator accused of murder -- to end with five pages of people standing around talking? It wasn't quite an "it was all a dream" ending, but it wasn't much better. Too bad, as this tale was pretty gripping for the first 200-some pages (even if parts read like a Robb Report magazine) before fizzling out at the end.

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LT Haiku:

When FBI does
evil things for good reasons,
should we disapprove?… (mais)

A follow up to Whitcomb's Black, this novel follows the further adentures of an ultra secret black-ops group. The United States is facing new terror attacks staged to look like they were committed by the islamic jihadists. Behind the attacks is a domestic, Christian fundamentalist group bent on ridding the world of Islam. A Manchurian Candidate subplot also lays just under the surface.

Not much new territory is covered here for the characters, which is the biggest weakness for the novel. What made the first story interesting was getting to know the characters. But in this installment, the story takes over completely and that is not Whitcomb's forte. The plot seems forced, always trying to surpise and shock with the next twist, while the characters get lost in the shuffle, just plodding through.

Both of these books were fun diversions. I hope Whitcomb's next book focuses more on prose and character development and less on trying to 'wow' the reader with his plot. Or maybe he returns to non-fiction, a move that would serve him, since his memoirs of a life in the FBI were well written and enjoyable.… (mais)

In full disclosure, I have a bit of a hard time being objective about this book because I knew the author. But I think you all know I am not a big believer in true objective opinions when it comes to books anyway.

Set in today's world, the story follows a Senator, an undercover CIA operative, and an FBI agent as they manuever through the modern day world of terror investigations. All of them enter from a different angle in a story of a telecommunications mogul who is introducing an encrypted telephone at prices for the every day customer. The introduction of the phone allows completely secure communications which cannot be intercepted by any government agency. The CIA agent's cover is compromised, the Senator is framed for a murder, and the FBI agent is hoodwinked into a seemingly unauthorized rendition of a group of terrorists in Yemen.

Now I don't require absolute accuracy in all my legal thrillers and action/spy tales. Indeed, much of the fun of them is their existence in a fantastic world not tied to the rules and obstacles of 'the real' (Matrix speak). But, I do have my limits and sometimes put down books with extreme fanciful stories and details. I came to this book with an expectation of some accuracy as the author is a former FBI agent and sniper. One of his other titles is a memoir of his days with the FBI and the FBI's elite Hostage Rescue Team. (A good read with first person accounts of Waco and Ruby Ridge from a guy who was there for both.) What I found was a strange mix. In some ways, Whitcomb's details are painfully accurate. In other passages, Whitcomb's story stretches my capability to willingly suspend disbelief and enjoy the story. I think what Whitcomb was reaching for here was a balance of accuracy in the small, mundane details with an exciting story not bound by the same need for accuracy. Mostly, he reaches that goal.

For a first novel, this is pretty well written. Whitcomb's prose was easy to slip into but not overtly simple. The characters were more complete than a lot of cardboard cutout thriller characters. The FBI agent, while abandoning his familty to do his duty, actually considers and meditates on the consequences to his family and the damage to his relationship with his wife. Unfortunately, the story is so complex that Whitcomb sometimes shortcuts these passages in formulaic ways. The books primary weakness is that the story is so complex that the characters and story development sometimes suffers; Whitcomb almost feels rushed sometimes to get in the next twist but still feels compelled to get the twist in with style.

I liked this book. For those who like this genre of book, I would recommend spending the day or two it will take you to read. For those with a super critical eye or those who don't enjoy turning off 'the real', this probably isn't for you.

3 1/2 bones… (mais)