Review by Siyer -- East Wind, 2nd edition by Jack Winnick
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Siyer
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- Latest Review: East Wind, 2nd edition by Jack Winnick
Review by Siyer -- East Wind, 2nd edition by Jack Winnick
[Following is a volunteer review of "East Wind, 2nd edition" by Jack Winnick.]
East Wind is an espionage thriller set in Post-9/11 America. When hundreds of people are killed by a nuclear bomb in Marina Del Rey, a posh waterfront area in Los Angeles, it sets off a scramble to find the threat. The government is warned, by a Middle Eastern source, U.S. aid to Israel must cease immediately otherwise another city will be bombed. We discover early, and not surprisingly, the LA bomb was an act of terrorism.
A computer expert FBI field agent is paired with a member of Israel’s elite Mossad to find the source of the threat and prevent the next city from attack – and they only have five days to do it. Sparks fly between the mismatched duo, Lara Edmond and Uri Levin, as they try to identify the Islamic terrorists involved as well as muddle through misinformation and investigative failures.
The book also follows Hossein, the developer of the second bomb and Walid, the young LA bomber, who was indoctrinated into Hezbollah before coming to the States under the guise of education.
East Wind is a highly entertaining, albeit predictable, piece of adventure fiction. The author did a nice job of interspersing the backstories of the main characters into the plot. Some readers may find some of the “bad guys” portrayed in a stereotypical or offensive manner however accurate the depictions may be.
Lara and Uri’s romance added a soapy zest to the story although the timing of their tryst was incompatible with how career-focused Winnick describes Lara to be. And frankly, the relationship between the couple, as well as Lara’s ambitious character, is quite cliché.
I would have liked more of both Uri and Lara to be explored. While it is evident they are the main characters, I felt I knew as much about them as I did Walid and Hossein. If Lara and Uri are the focus of this thriller, the reader should know more about them. There was a lack of depth to the overall story. It was interesting and a fast-read but much of it felt like the author was trying too hard. There was a slight lack of authenticity in the writing.
What I loved is how much I learned about the Israeli-Arab conflict. At times the material was dense but it kept my attention. I am not usually fond of flashbacks, yet I didn’t find these very distracting; plus they seemed necessary to develop the characters and plot. The paragraphs were very thick and could use some breaking down. That would make the book more readable.
This was an enjoyable read overall. There were no grammatical errors or typos, yet the plot was very formulaic. I was impressed with how the author wove into the story the significance and meaning of the title. For all the aforementioned reasons, I give East Wind 3 out of 4 stars.
******
East Wind, 2nd edition
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
East Wind is an espionage thriller set in Post-9/11 America. When hundreds of people are killed by a nuclear bomb in Marina Del Rey, a posh waterfront area in Los Angeles, it sets off a scramble to find the threat. The government is warned, by a Middle Eastern source, U.S. aid to Israel must cease immediately otherwise another city will be bombed. We discover early, and not surprisingly, the LA bomb was an act of terrorism.
A computer expert FBI field agent is paired with a member of Israel’s elite Mossad to find the source of the threat and prevent the next city from attack – and they only have five days to do it. Sparks fly between the mismatched duo, Lara Edmond and Uri Levin, as they try to identify the Islamic terrorists involved as well as muddle through misinformation and investigative failures.
The book also follows Hossein, the developer of the second bomb and Walid, the young LA bomber, who was indoctrinated into Hezbollah before coming to the States under the guise of education.
East Wind is a highly entertaining, albeit predictable, piece of adventure fiction. The author did a nice job of interspersing the backstories of the main characters into the plot. Some readers may find some of the “bad guys” portrayed in a stereotypical or offensive manner however accurate the depictions may be.
Lara and Uri’s romance added a soapy zest to the story although the timing of their tryst was incompatible with how career-focused Winnick describes Lara to be. And frankly, the relationship between the couple, as well as Lara’s ambitious character, is quite cliché.
I would have liked more of both Uri and Lara to be explored. While it is evident they are the main characters, I felt I knew as much about them as I did Walid and Hossein. If Lara and Uri are the focus of this thriller, the reader should know more about them. There was a lack of depth to the overall story. It was interesting and a fast-read but much of it felt like the author was trying too hard. There was a slight lack of authenticity in the writing.
What I loved is how much I learned about the Israeli-Arab conflict. At times the material was dense but it kept my attention. I am not usually fond of flashbacks, yet I didn’t find these very distracting; plus they seemed necessary to develop the characters and plot. The paragraphs were very thick and could use some breaking down. That would make the book more readable.
This was an enjoyable read overall. There were no grammatical errors or typos, yet the plot was very formulaic. I was impressed with how the author wove into the story the significance and meaning of the title. For all the aforementioned reasons, I give East Wind 3 out of 4 stars.
******
East Wind, 2nd edition
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: East Wind, 2nd edition by Jack Winnick
