Review of East Wind, 2nd edition

[Steinkar]

[Following is a volunteer review of "East Wind, 2nd edition" by Jack Winnick.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Jack Winnick opens his spy thriller East Wind with Ed Cooper being blown to bits in his prestigious condo in Marina del Ray. Eventually, readers discover that Hezbollah terrorists have detonated a nuclear bomb, which vaporized everything in its wake. Thousands were killed. The US government sends FBI agent, Lara Edmond, and her partner from the Israeli Mossad, Uri Levin, to ferret out the terrorists’ network and thwart any future attacks.

The terrorists’ mission is to create a radical Shia nation in Lebanon and expel all the Jews from Palestine. To accomplish this, they issue the United States an ultimatum: break all ties with Israel and desist from any future financial or military support or suffer more nuclear attacks on American soil. This threat sends shock waves through the country as multiple government agencies try to find the terrorists before more American blood is shed.

This book was both riveting and terrifying. Winnick is a scholar of Middle Eastern history and politics, and he has also served as an expert consultant in the field of nuclear power. East Wind is obviously fiction, but Winnick writes with such authority, it’s easy to imagine something like this actually happening. Although his writing is sometimes technical and complicated, he constructs storylines that are accessible and frighteningly credible.

Winnick also introduces a dalliance between his protagonists. Uri and Lara’s burgeoning relationship adds an extra element of tension to the narrative. For me, it’s an unnecessary side plot that delays the adventure of the storyline. However, I can concede that others may find it engaging, and it does add an extra element of suspense as they navigate their strategy while simultaneously worrying about the safety of the other.

One thing I didn’t appreciate was when Winnick let his own political views sneak into the narrative. For example, there are remarks about liberal college faculties passing their political views on to their students and that campuses are “open to all kinds of anti-US activity, and this type of ridiculous permissiveness would lead to their downfall.” There are also political jabs at government agencies that are creating power struggles over jurisdiction. These instances are not presented as dialogue or the implied thoughts of a character; instead, they come from the omniscient narrator and seem to reflect the author’s views and not a character’s.

I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. It is an intriguing spy thriller with a credible plotline about how terrorists might threaten the United States with nuclear weapons. I was disappointed in certain instances that slanted toward Winnick’s political views, but those didn’t control the narrative and were simply a minor nuisance.

Fans of the spy novel genre will be captivated by East Wind. The book does have some very minor sexually suggestive scenes and some obligatory violence, but none of those scenes are explicit enough to inhibit young adults from reading it. However, the book takes a pro-Israel stance, and some may be offended by that.

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East Wind, 2nd edition
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