Review by Bookninja30 -- Devil Among Us by Jack Winnick

[Bookninja30]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Devil Among Us" by Jack Winnick.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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How well do you think you know your neighbors?


In Devil Among Us by Jack Winnick, that is exactly the question that ruminates in the minds of FBI agents, as well as the survivors of a synagogue bombing in New York. Agent Lara, who works for the Joint Terrorism Task Force, is paired up with her former colleague Uri, who works for the Israeli government, to solve the case. With Lara’s charm and deadly kicks, and Uri’s resourcefulness and friends in high places, the dynamic duo race against the clock to dismantle a terrorist ring in the Middle East who insists on setting off another major conflict. They just do not know when, or where, the next attack will be.


I gave Devil Among Us 3 out of 4 stars, for a handful of glaring editing mistakes towards the end of the book, a lack of adjectives, and some sexually suggestive scenes that were unnecessary for the plot. These are what I disliked most about the book. I did not give it two out of four because the story itself was very educational and action-packed. It almost seemed as if Winnick was trying to rush to get published. He could have been more creative with his adjectives, but he was definitely creative with some of his spelling errors. For example, he varied his spelling from “Crav Maga” to “Krav Maga” but failed to correct the first misspelling. There were some color changes in the font, again towards the end of the book. The font often changed from gray to black. Also, there were some unnecessary scenes that were sexually suggestive and violent in nature. He could have written a different situation to drive the plot forward. Winnick also used mild swearing throughout, especially during the more intense action scenes.


A few things I liked most about the book were the plot, character development, and the U.S.-Middle East politics. As for the politics, I felt that I could keep up with the relationships between the different religious sects, how they view each other, and how their respective countries view them in turn. It is straightforward enough for any reader of any background to understand the relationships, because Winnick was a superb teacher within the characters’ dialogues. I could tell he was very passionate about these relationships in Middle East politics, albeit biased. Winnick did mention 9/11 several times, and since I am a reader who remembers this day clearly, it really added a deeper, more personal connection to the story.


The plot and character development were excellent. I would have liked to have seen more development not only within Lara and Uri, but to the buildup of the first terrorist attack and those who were involved. He could have delved more into the lives of those involved, how they felt before the event, et cetera. Fight scenes were not complicated to follow either, which I appreciated; I could envision the types of maneuvers and kicks that Lara and Uri used to get out of trouble. It would be great if Winnick could somehow get the movie rights for this book.


As to the type of audience appropriate for this book, I believe any reader who enjoys action, suspense, or thriller books will be a fan of Devil Among Us. In fact, I am even a convert because of this book. At first, I did not think anything of this type of genre, but after reading Winnick’s book, I intend to put more action books on my “To Be Read” list. The only reason why I did not give Winnick all four stars is because of the mistakes that I found in the book. They were glaring enough that they bothered me when I found them, but I was so invested in the story itself that I decided to move on past those errors and finish the book. Overall, I enjoyed the book immensely and would recommend Devil Among Us to others.

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Devil Among Us
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