Review of East Wind, 2nd edition

Post by **Silvio Omutsiambo** » 26 Sep 2022, 04:53

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

4 out of 4 stars

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East Wind, 2nd Edition, by Jack Winnick, is a fictional thriller novel and the first in a series of others that account for the adventures of two detectives, Lara and Uri. The title is used metaphorically to hint at the book's contents: the hot, dry wind of the desert, known for bringing misery and despair.

Two detectives, Lara and Uri, are paired up to track and break the terrorists' coded communication patterns in their Opera network. The detectives got a lead after Uri discovered a note with the Opera name in a terrorist hideout where he and his team had attacked. In another event, Hossein, one of the terrorist experts, sends a self-made bomb to Walid, a soon-to-be martyr in the USA. After blasting Marina del Rey, the terrorists sent demands to the US government, which had to be adhered to within a few days. While the government is trying to hide deep details from the public, its only hope is for Uri and Lara to come up with some helpful information from their assignment and save another unknown bombing set up by the terrorists. On the other hand, the two officials are in a dilemma as to whether they should trust a terrorist who has surrendered. Was it part of the terrorists' ill plan?

The plot of this book was superb. I liked how events flowed from the first page to the last. The interconnection of past and present narration added more insight and flavor to the story. I applaud the magnificent character development in the book. In particular, I loved Walid's character shift from a strict radical Islam terrorist to an open-minded guy who questions if what he was taught all along was true. Also, the narration was in simple English. I did not encounter any complex vocabulary. In addition, the book is well detailed to satisfy readers' interests. I found it easy to visualize events in this book.

Moreover, I liked the positive emotions displayed by the characters in this book. The scene that touched me the most was when Walid was tormented by guilt after bombing and taking innocent lives at Marina del Rey, even after being a strict believer in Islam's dominance, as the radical imams had taught him. Jack Winnick also interweaves themes like romance, governance, crime, betrayal, and negative influence to spice up his story. The themes also reflect real-life scenarios, so they are relatable to readers.

I encountered a few punctuation issues in this book. I did not see any alarming negative aspects to comment on. The book was professionally edited, and the errors I found were not substantial enough to depreciate the excellent score. Therefore, I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. I recommend it to lovers of crime stories.

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East Wind, 2nd edition
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