The Red Syndrome

This is not my usual genre, but every now and again I try to change things up a bit, and this time it was worth it. I wasn't sure about The Red Syndrome going in. The tone can be didactic at times - the protagonist Dan Gordon knows his stuff and wants to make sure you know it too, which can weigh the action down a little (think tell instead of show). The upside is that you end up learning SO much about how U.S. and foreign intelligence agencies work together. And this stuff is legit - the author used to work undercover for the U.S. government, so I felt like I was getting a glimpse into a world that is usually shrouded by secrecy no matter how dogged the press is. Dan Gordon is an investigative attorney working for the U.S. Justice Department, chasing huge sums of money (and its launderers) around the globe. The Red Syndrome starts off in a harrowing German prison and swings back to New York, then the Seychelles, Marseilles, North Africa and, well - I won't give it all away. Suffice it to say, I really got caught up in all the plot twists and turns. Shocking revelations, close scrapes, false identities, wrongful accusations, dangerous liaisons, torturous interrogations and some very smart thinking work together to quicken the thriller's pace and truly captivate the reader in a tale of good against evil, intelligence against fanatic Islamic terrorism. If you want to know how things really go down in the covert war against terrorism - without skimping on the educational details but still offering plenty of can't-put-the-book-down thrills - The Red Syndrome's a top notch read.