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4 out of 4 stars
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Waterworks by Jack Winnick is yet another captivating read from an author who writes about terrorist activities in an engaging and knowledgable way. I am rating this book 4 out of 4 stars. This story, the fifth in the Lara and Uri series, is a compelling addition to previous books and can also be easily understood as a standalone novel. The book is also incredibly well-edited and free from errors, which made reading it that much more pleasurable.
My favorite part of this story is how the author takes what could have been a repetitive storyline, operatives going undercover in enemy territory, and makes it new again. The operatives Lara and Uri again take on dangerous adventures, but this time Winnick adds in an element of disguise for the agents that we have not seen previously. It makes the story much more believable that the agents go under deep cover as they have now interacted with the same terrorist cells for the course of the previous four novels. It is also one of the first times we have been able to see Lara and Uri as standalone agents, and I felt that I was able to get to know those characters and their strengths better in this book.
Winnick also successfully enveloped this story in mystery we hadn't before seen. As I read, I began to question if some of the contacts I thought were on the side of the Americans were actually on the side of the enemy. This novel also seems more realistic about the types of interactions between foreign governments when it comes to sensitive information. Governments put a lot of time and energy into deliberately providing misinformation, and this book does a great job of capturing some of that.
If I had to point out a criticism of this story, it would be that the author can sometimes hammer home the same point, perhaps one too many times. This repetition can lead to certain action scenes dragging on for a bit longer than is necessary.
Overall, the plot is very well-developed, and the character development for both American and Iranian agents seems more in-depth than in previous books. I enjoyed reading this story and, at times, was hesitant to put it down as I wanted to know what happened next.
This book can appeal to a broad audience of readers. It focuses on the action and adventure of operatives who seek to foil plots against the United States. As such, anyone who is extremely sensitive towards anti-American or anti-Israeli sentiments may want to steer clear.
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Waterworks
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