The Intercept
by Dick Wolf
Copyright: 2013
Pages: 387
Rating: 5/5
Read: Nov. 16-Nov. 24, 2012
Challenge: Mystery & Suspense 2012
Yearly count: 30
Format: Print
Source: Review copy
Blurb:
Days before the July Fourth holiday and the dedication of One World Trade Center at Ground Zero, an incident aboard a commercial jet flying over the Atlantic Ocean reminds everyone that vigilance is not a task to be taken lightly. But for iconoclastic NYPD detective Jeremy Fisk, it may also be a signal that there is much more to this case than the easy answer of this being just the work of another lone terrorist.
Fisk—assigned to the department’s Intelligence Division, a well-funded anti terror unit modeled on the CIA—suspects that the event might also be a warning sign that another, potentially more extraordinary scheme has been set in motion. Fluent in Arabic and the ways of his opponents, Fisk is a rule breaker who follows his gut—even if it means defying those above him in the department’s food chain. So when a passenger from the same plane, a Saudi Arabian national, disappears into the crowds of Manhattan, it’s up to Fisk and his partner Krina Gersten to find him before the celebrations begin.
Watching each new lead fizzle, chasing shadows to dead ends, Fisk and Gersten quickly realize that their opponents are smarter and more agile than any they have ever faced. Extremely clever and seemingly invisible, they are able to exploit any security weak-ness and anticipate Fisk’s every move . . . and time is running out.
Review: I received this ARC for free after clicking on a link within a Shelf Awareness e-mail. I received no monetary compensation and the following review is my honest opinion of the book.
This book is due to be released 12/26/12.
PLEASE NOTE – This review WILL contain SPOILERS. Read on at your own risk.
Wowzers! This book is a fast-paced, thrill-ride of a read! I am very familiar with Dick Wolf’s name – I used to be a Law & Order junkie (the only reason I no longer am is because other good shows kept coming out during the same time slot, boo! Plus I’m an old school fan – I miss Lennie)
Anyway, that’s not to say that this book was perfect. It really isn’t. First of all, I sincerely hope that the final copy has a very good editor – there were a lot of typos in my ARC (more than in any other ARC I’ve ever read). Sorry, I’m a grammar fanatic.
But what really irritated me … SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER …. how in the heck can you kill off one of the main characters in the first book?! I mean, honestly. I never saw that one coming. And if this is supposed to be part of a series, why would you introduce such an important person only to have them gone by the end of the first book? It just seemed like an unnecessary move, in my opinion. And to be completely honest here, the story being told is really from Krina’s point of view – and yet, she’s killed off in the end? I don’t know – I think that it might have been a really bad character/series development move in my opinion. You just don’t do that in the first book if you intend to have a series, but maybe Mr. Wolf isn’t considering a very long series for Jeremy Fisk’s character. Who knows what the plans really are.
Personally, I think that this is a good book, but it definitely does have its flaws. But the storyline was relevant and interesting. The “bad guy” was a surprise to me. The build-up to the climax was well-done. Overall, it’s a good book and I would highly recommend it. However, I think that Mr. Wolf needs to realize that you can’t approach a book series in the same manner as you would a TV series. Once he conquers that, I think he will be a very impressive novelist. I look forward to reading the next Jeremy Fisk book.
Highly recommended.
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