Don Hoesel, The Alarmists

Thanks to Bethany House for the review copy. Brent Michaels is a professor of sociology brought in by a special Pentagon unit to consult on a series of seemingly random yet troubling escalations of violence across the globe. Colonel James Richards wants his advice on whether there is any sense that can be made of the scattered events that can point to either a cause or purpose behind them. The team is led all over the country and the world, investigating an oil rig explosion in Texas, political unrest in Afghanistan, and mysterious digging in Antarctica. Brent and the team seem always a step behind, but a picture does seem to be emerging that points beyond merely random occurrences of violence to a coordinated attempt to raise panic. But why? And who could manipulate events the world over? As they race to figure it out, Brent begins to wonder if these events are leading up to some great polarizing event meant to cause global panic, and sees the fast approaching mythic doomsday of December 21, 2012, as a likely time. So with only days to go, the team must figure out who is behind the plan and stop the world from careening out of control.

Hoesel's story is interesting, and Brent Michaels is a relatively strong main character. This book takes you to myriad locations and drives you on to its ending. It is pretty solid adventure fiction. The villain is a little implausible and stereotyped, as are some of the characters. And the main plot line likewise lacks some plausibility. But this is countered by relatively solid writing and a handful of stronger characters, along with some good action at exotic locations. My largest complaint about the book is probably its cover: it pictures a young-looking man with darked-out eyes holding his hand in front of his face. The problem is that this image seems to have absolutely no connection with anything in the book, at all. It doesn't fit the description of any of the characters, and certainly not the main characters. I don't want to belabor the point, but you do judge a book by its cover, and this one just doesn't work. An image of an oil derrick exploding or of an older professor-type character would have been plenty compelling, but it seems the art department didn't bother reading the book. That doesn't directly detract from what is otherwise a pretty good book, but it does warrant a mention. In all, I'd give the book 3.5 stars (though because Amazon doesn't do half stars, I bumped it up to four).

Margaret McLean, Under Fire

Thanks to the Amazon Vine program for the advanced review copy.

I loved this book. It was truly a pleasure to read and is a powerful debut from an attorney-turned-novelist who has obviously taken care to hone her writing craft. The story centers around a fire that breaks out in a Senagalese Market in Boston. During the rescue of the two occupants from the apartment above the store, one of the firefighters is shot and killed. The fire appears to be arson, and the store owner, Amina Dialla, a Senagalese immigrant, is arrested and charged. The story unfolds in the courtroom as this emotionally charged case plays out. Amina is represented by Sarah Lynch and her uncle Buddy Lynch, who believe in their client's innocence, but at the same time realize that there is more to her story than she is willing to let on. And the trial gets off to a bang when Sarah is shot by an gunman who appears to be attempting to kill Amina during the arraignment proceedings. From there the pressure mounts as the firefighters and politicians are calling for justice, while Sarah and Uncle Buddy are racing to find evidence that can clear their client and show who really started the fire. As shady mortgage deals, political intrigue, and possible connections to another arson case from a few years before all come to light, along with a homeless man's story about seeing an angel emerge on the roof during the fire, there are a lot of pieces that need to be put together.

McLean's book is a riveting piece of legal fiction, with great courtroom scenes, lots of action, and building tension, as the reader pulls for Amina Dialla but also knows that they don't know the whole story yet. She uses the perspectives of various jurors throughout to both develop their characters and give nice texture to the courtroom arguments. This book is well built, with a great story, interesting characters, and a case that just needs to be solved. The ending is a worthy payoff without being to facile or predictable. In all, this was one of the most enjoyable books I've read in a while, and I look forward to more.