Smoke Screen

another book? His novels are some of the best I've ever read and though his writing is years between works, I eagerly await the next one. So when is the next one coming already?

Top notch thriller, mystery. It is very realistic and true to its subject matter. One mistake is on page 223 at the top, where it refers to taking a Glock pistol off safety. Glocks have no safety in the conventional sense, and there is nothing to take off. The only safety is the unique trigger, which is an automatic safety of sorts. This is my first time to read a book by Mr. Patrick, and it will not be my last.

I cannot believe I have lived and read as long as I have, and missed this author. I am extremely critical of those who write and are lazy -- that is, do not keep their charecters in charecter, force the plot, or take themselves too seriously. Vincent Patrick is like a surgeon -- he cuts cleanly through the entire novel, and his people are so real, you expect to walk into them when you leave the house. I especially loved the way he drew and maintained the charecter of his terrorist. I was reminded of my ethics classes and the slippery slope, this time into the comfort of American technology. Please treat yourself to this delightfully written piece, so we can convince Patrick to keep his pen in hand!

In the middle of the night, the four thieves quietly break into Manhattan's exclusive Montclair Hotel. One of them, Frank Belmonte, easily opens the safety deposit boxes that store millions of dollars worth of jewels owned by the hotel's occupants. However, the perfect crime falls apart when several individuals suddenly arrive at the hotel. The four criminals hold these new arrivals as hostages. Unknown to Frank is that his three associates have a different agenda than walking off with ten million dollars worth of jewels. The other trio works for the CIA, trying to stop Castro's plot to use a deadly virus to force an end to the American economic embargo. They must make this incident seem more like a robbery gone awry, than a US government sanctioned mission. Thus, the appearance of Frank as a team member as they perform their scenario to capture the Cuban expected to deploy the airborne virus. SMOKE SCREEN lives up to its name as readers enjoy an entertaining, twisting thriller. The action-packed story line never eases up for a moment as confrontation after confrontation speeds it along to an exciting climax. The characters are fully developed, and their reactions and motives seem authentic. The characters turn Vincent Patrick's novel into must reading by anyone who takes pleasure from a non-stop, believable thriller, one that is totally impossible to predict.Harriet Klausner

I'd read the Pope of Greenwich Village years ago, but I'd forgotten what a kick ass writer this guy is. This new novel manages to wrap all kinds of crazy elements--Cuban terrorists, a fake jewel heist, a killer virus--around one tight wound plot. Terrific!