Review of Waterworks
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Janet Williamson Vaughn
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- Latest Review: Waterworks by Jack Winnick
Review of Waterworks
[Following is a volunteer review of "Waterworks" by Jack Winnick.]
Waterworks by Jack Winnick is a well-written and well-edited story of spycraft, where the action takes place in modern Iran and the San Francisco area. The subject is topical and anxiety-producing: the poisoning of the California water supply by jihadi Iranians.
The author's tone and narrative style are matter-of-fact and straightforward; the reader knows only a little of the emotions of the characters and the minutia of their everyday lives, and their actions are fast-paced and no-nonsense.
The main characters are a married Jewish couple, Uri and Lara, who have worked together on spy missions in the past. The author has written other books in the series featuring this same couple, but this is fine as a standalone book and the reader will be able to get a sense of the history of these two people without having read any of the other books in the series. A few affectionate moments are sprinkled throughout the story to show the bond between them. There is no overt sex and very little crude language or swearing.
I did find it hard to believe how easily Uri and Lara found jobs within the terrorists' organization and never aroused suspicions of whose side their loyalties were on. Their "too good to be true" abilities in cracking codes and solving issues for the terrorists to gain their trust has the enemy seeming naive.
The author appears to have a deep knowledge of Mid-East culture and society, as well as the intricacies of the spy and intelligence world. The language is not poetic or flowery but is pleasant to read, due to the well-edited writing, with virtually no typos or errors, and the lack of a convoluted plot or an endless ensemble of characters to remember to trip up the reader.
I would give Waterworks a rating of 3 on a scale of 5, as the writing is clean and technical, and readers who enjoy action novels will enjoy the fast pace and suspense. Readers who enjoy more in-depth feelings and inner dialog from the characters will be disappointed if looking for more than a superficial knowledge of the characters' emotions and thoughts about their activities.
I did find it sobering how easy it appears to be to introduce poisons into huge and important water supplies, and how few checks and security the jihadis would have to face to accomplish their objective, and although I hope this ease is just a plot device to keep the story moving, I fear it is an all-too real problem that America may have to face someday.
Typos and Unintentional Grammar Errors: 2 instances
p. 42 "There are organic compounds that bound with the polonium, allowing the body to eliminate them naturally." "Bound" should be "bind".
p. 240 "Other news dealt with the fate of the jihadis at the San Andreas and Upper Crystal Springs reservoirs:" The colon at the end of "reservoirs" should be a period.
Objectionable language: 1 instance of borderline profanity
p. 191 "Not to mention we also lost two of the Americans' most despicable secret agents from within our grasp, Uri Levin and his whore, Lara Edmond!" The word "whore" is borderline profanity.
******
Waterworks
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Waterworks by Jack Winnick is a well-written and well-edited story of spycraft, where the action takes place in modern Iran and the San Francisco area. The subject is topical and anxiety-producing: the poisoning of the California water supply by jihadi Iranians.
The author's tone and narrative style are matter-of-fact and straightforward; the reader knows only a little of the emotions of the characters and the minutia of their everyday lives, and their actions are fast-paced and no-nonsense.
The main characters are a married Jewish couple, Uri and Lara, who have worked together on spy missions in the past. The author has written other books in the series featuring this same couple, but this is fine as a standalone book and the reader will be able to get a sense of the history of these two people without having read any of the other books in the series. A few affectionate moments are sprinkled throughout the story to show the bond between them. There is no overt sex and very little crude language or swearing.
I did find it hard to believe how easily Uri and Lara found jobs within the terrorists' organization and never aroused suspicions of whose side their loyalties were on. Their "too good to be true" abilities in cracking codes and solving issues for the terrorists to gain their trust has the enemy seeming naive.
The author appears to have a deep knowledge of Mid-East culture and society, as well as the intricacies of the spy and intelligence world. The language is not poetic or flowery but is pleasant to read, due to the well-edited writing, with virtually no typos or errors, and the lack of a convoluted plot or an endless ensemble of characters to remember to trip up the reader.
I would give Waterworks a rating of 3 on a scale of 5, as the writing is clean and technical, and readers who enjoy action novels will enjoy the fast pace and suspense. Readers who enjoy more in-depth feelings and inner dialog from the characters will be disappointed if looking for more than a superficial knowledge of the characters' emotions and thoughts about their activities.
I did find it sobering how easy it appears to be to introduce poisons into huge and important water supplies, and how few checks and security the jihadis would have to face to accomplish their objective, and although I hope this ease is just a plot device to keep the story moving, I fear it is an all-too real problem that America may have to face someday.
Typos and Unintentional Grammar Errors: 2 instances
p. 42 "There are organic compounds that bound with the polonium, allowing the body to eliminate them naturally." "Bound" should be "bind".
p. 240 "Other news dealt with the fate of the jihadis at the San Andreas and Upper Crystal Springs reservoirs:" The colon at the end of "reservoirs" should be a period.
Objectionable language: 1 instance of borderline profanity
p. 191 "Not to mention we also lost two of the Americans' most despicable secret agents from within our grasp, Uri Levin and his whore, Lara Edmond!" The word "whore" is borderline profanity.
******
Waterworks
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Waterworks by Jack Winnick
