The Fallen: A Derek Stillwater Thrillervolume 1

"The Fallen" by Mark Terry is a suspenseful novel that packs more action into its 279 pages than an entire season of the TV show 24 and whose hero, Derek Stillwater, is reminiscent of a less angry Jack Bauer. The G8 summit is getting ready to begin in Colorado Springs and with 20 of the world's leaders planning to be in attendance, no expense has been spared to make this gathering as safe and secure as possible. But despite all the precautions, a terrorist group called The Fallen Angels, manages to infiltrate the summit and take everyone hostage. The leader of the group, Richard Coffee, has agreed to kill one world leader every hour if his demands are not met and the FBI, Secret Service, US Military and Homeland Security are scrambling to come up with a plan to stop him. Luckily undercover agent Derek Stillwater is on the inside and has no desire to see his old foe win this round. Does one man have what it takes to stop an entire group of terrorists on his own? "The Fallen" is a thrilling roller-coaster ride from beginning to end with more twists and turns than Lombard Street in San Francisco. Mark Terry has created a likable and engaging hero in Derek Stillwater and, while this is the 3rd book in a series, it truly stands on its own as a highly entertaining, political action thriller that any reader would thoroughly enjoy.

The story begins with a group of The Fallen Angels taking over a checkpoint to the G8 Summit, a gathering of the world's top leaders that are meeting at the Cheyenne Resort in Colorado Springs. It is the site of the G8 Summit where the world's top leaders are meeting. The Fallen Angels are terrorists who have plans of their own for the summit. The US military, FBI, Secret Service and Homeland Security are working together with the security groups of the foreign diplomats to make this event very secure but things do not go according to their plans. In steps Derek Stillwater, a former FBI agent who is now working undercover as a maintenance man at Cheyenne Resort. As such, he has pretty much free reign of the resort and knows all the nooks and crannies. He also knows the head of The Fallen Angels, Richard Coffee who manages to capture the 20 leaders within minutes of their arrival and demands that 20 detainees from Guantanamo Bay be released. Stillwater's girlfriend gets involved and proves quite helpful along with a former Russian acquaintance. Stillwater uses his knowledge of the enemy, the floor plan of the resort and his plain ingenuity to try to stop this plot. Terry has written a true thriller that has an intriguing plot filled with action and interesting characters. Derek Stillwater is a likable hero and I would love to read more books centering on him and his adventures.

THE FALLEN is a textbook example of how to pace a thriller. Students of the genre should outline its scenes, plot points, and "meanwhiles" to gain insight into the method. Terry plunges his readers into the action from the first sentences and never lets up. The short scenes and lean writing constitute a model of efficient storytelling. The style is very visual; it almost felt as though I were reading a script. Terry demonstrates a casual familiarity with weapons and tactics, intelligence agencies, and underworld intrigue. THE FALLEN is meticulously researched and the plot devices are clever. It's a fast read: get set to turn pages in rapid succession.

The economic summit of the expanded G20 is being held at Cheyenne Resort in Colorado Springs. As expected security is extremely tight as the American agencies along with their counterparts from the other participating nations are everywhere insuring no terrorist incident occurs. However, in spite of the safeguards seemingly within seconds of the opening gavel, a group breaches security and takes hostage all twenty leaders and others. Led by Richard Coffee, the first demand is the freeing of twenty detainees from Guantomino Bay prison; for every hourly delay one of the leaders will be executed. There is little choice except to give into Coffee's demands. However, posing as a maintenance worker, undercover black ops agent Derek Stillwater is the last hope. His plan is to eliminate the enemy efficiently one at a time and effectively neutralize the adversaries until he meets his former compatriot Richard "The Fallen Angel" Coffee. The Fallen is an exhilarating thriller that grips the audience with the initial grab and though somewhat changes pace never let's go of the reader's attention. The story line is a fast-paced adrenalin rush, but ironically it is the debates between various leaders as to how to react to the terrorist abductions that makes the tale super. Thriller fans will want to read the Fallen who have legitimate complaints against their respective governments betraying them and ponder whether kick butt Cheney would say no negotiations with terrorists if he or one his family were the expendable hostages. Harriet Klausner

The G8 Summit is coming up and 20 leaders from around the world will be in attendance at it the Cheyenne Resort in Colorado Springs. Security is extremely tight, with multiple agencies trying to coordinate with each other. But someone with a grudge against the US plans to make it a summit that the world won't soon forget: the Fallen Angel. Formerly an operative for the United States, Richard Coffee has returned to get revenge with his band of intelligence outcasts, who are among the best in the world at what they do. What Coffee doesn't count on is the presence of an old friend turned foe: Derek Stillwater. Working undercover as a maintenance man at the resort, Stillwater is called into action when the Angels implement their plan to take over the summit and hold the leaders for ransom. It isn't money they want though; rather it's the release of all their fellow Angels from Gitmo. However, things change when Coffee's 2nd in command kills him and plans to release a biological weapon unless his new demands are met. Can Stillwater do what he has to stop this new threat or are the odds against him simply too much? The Fallen by Mark Terry is a very well done, albeit formulaic novel. The hero, Derek Stillwater, is your classic hero with a mysterious past about which few facts can be confirmed. Terry uses the familiar G8 summit as his backdrop and creates a sense of realism that few authors can match. Protests occur at nearly every international meeting of world leaders and the G8 summit is no exception. I think it is just a matter of time before something similar to the events in Terry's novel happens in real life. Of course, in the novel, the mysterious hero is already in place to beat the odds, save the girl and prevent disaster. Terry does a great job of creating a scenario that while very formulaic is still very interesting and engaging to read. I completed the novel nearly in one sitting and I predict many who pick up this book will do the same. I heartily give this book 5 of 5 stars.