Review by rhendel -- Waterworks by Jack Winnick
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rhendel
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- Latest Review: Waterworks by Jack Winnick
Review by rhendel -- Waterworks by Jack Winnick
[Following is a volunteer review of "Waterworks" by Jack Winnick.]
Waterworks by Jack Winnick is the fifth installment in the Lara and Uri series. In this book, a terrorist group from Iran is planning an attack on Los Angeles and San Francisco by poisoning the water system with a deadly substance called polonium. Once again, Agents Lara and Uri are called upon to thwart the attack through international undercover operations and intense military maneuvers.
Overall, I enjoyed reading Waterworks. It was suspenseful, engaging, and paced quickly enough to avoid losing interest in any of the storylines. While this can be read as a standalone book, I’m glad I read most of the other books in the series because it provided me with substantial background information and character insight. Of all the books in the series, this one lacked character development the most, so anyone reading as a standalone book may struggle to develop a connection with the characters. One thing I found frustrating was that there are a lot of new characters introduced who get a few pages of background information and development, only to be rather insignificant in the overall story. For instance, three characters are introduced about ¾ of the way through the book. They are described for a few pages, only to be eliminated in the next chapter. I would have preferred the author devote that time to developing some of the core characters more deeply instead.
Similar to other books in the series, Waterworks has a lot of military jargon that I find difficult to read through and isn’t pertinent to the outcome of the story. However, I’m still able to enjoy the book without fully understanding the specific military tactics, so it’s not too much of a negative to me. There is also a lot of obvious foreshadowing that can make the story predictable. Typically, I don’t like heavy foreshadowing because it takes away from the suspense, however, because I’m so invested in the characters from reading the rest of the series, it didn’t deter me from being engaged with this book.
Waterworks is centered around religious terrorism, so there is a lot of stereotyping and derogatory language that some readers may find offensive. There are also a lot of graphic descriptions of violence, including torture, that can be off-putting. I read a lot of crime novels, so I’m fairly used to explicit depictions but still found some instances in the book upsetting. Anyone squeamish or uncomfortable with violence would probably not enjoy reading the book.
Overall, I rate Waterworks 3 out of 4 stars. While I was engaged in the overarching storyline, I wish there had been less obvious foreshadowing so the book was less predictable. I also found myself skimming through a lot of the military jargon and was put off by some of the graphic depictions of violence. There were a few typos throughout the book, but nothing that prevented me from understanding what the author had written. I recommend this book to readers who enjoy crime thrillers but would suggest they read another book in the series first to help provide more character development.
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Waterworks
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Waterworks by Jack Winnick is the fifth installment in the Lara and Uri series. In this book, a terrorist group from Iran is planning an attack on Los Angeles and San Francisco by poisoning the water system with a deadly substance called polonium. Once again, Agents Lara and Uri are called upon to thwart the attack through international undercover operations and intense military maneuvers.
Overall, I enjoyed reading Waterworks. It was suspenseful, engaging, and paced quickly enough to avoid losing interest in any of the storylines. While this can be read as a standalone book, I’m glad I read most of the other books in the series because it provided me with substantial background information and character insight. Of all the books in the series, this one lacked character development the most, so anyone reading as a standalone book may struggle to develop a connection with the characters. One thing I found frustrating was that there are a lot of new characters introduced who get a few pages of background information and development, only to be rather insignificant in the overall story. For instance, three characters are introduced about ¾ of the way through the book. They are described for a few pages, only to be eliminated in the next chapter. I would have preferred the author devote that time to developing some of the core characters more deeply instead.
Similar to other books in the series, Waterworks has a lot of military jargon that I find difficult to read through and isn’t pertinent to the outcome of the story. However, I’m still able to enjoy the book without fully understanding the specific military tactics, so it’s not too much of a negative to me. There is also a lot of obvious foreshadowing that can make the story predictable. Typically, I don’t like heavy foreshadowing because it takes away from the suspense, however, because I’m so invested in the characters from reading the rest of the series, it didn’t deter me from being engaged with this book.
Waterworks is centered around religious terrorism, so there is a lot of stereotyping and derogatory language that some readers may find offensive. There are also a lot of graphic descriptions of violence, including torture, that can be off-putting. I read a lot of crime novels, so I’m fairly used to explicit depictions but still found some instances in the book upsetting. Anyone squeamish or uncomfortable with violence would probably not enjoy reading the book.
Overall, I rate Waterworks 3 out of 4 stars. While I was engaged in the overarching storyline, I wish there had been less obvious foreshadowing so the book was less predictable. I also found myself skimming through a lot of the military jargon and was put off by some of the graphic depictions of violence. There were a few typos throughout the book, but nothing that prevented me from understanding what the author had written. I recommend this book to readers who enjoy crime thrillers but would suggest they read another book in the series first to help provide more character development.
******
Waterworks
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Waterworks by Jack Winnick
