2 out of 4 stars
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Why would a multi-million dollar E3-AWACS fly aimlessly with a dead crew on board? Handsome Major Brad Strong is assigned to solve the mystery of a crash which has not even happened yet. There are two main reasons for the urgency of Brad’s mission. The first is that the aircraft was testing top secret army gear. The second has to do with the fact that the Secretary of Defense was not only on board, but he also happened to be the President’s brother. The premise is set for a round-the-clock race to avoid the plane reaching Russian soil and to discover who or what has killed all the passengers.
The Alaskan Incident is an exhilarating thriller revolving around the inner circle of high politics and international conspiracies. The crash of the American aircraft in Alaska is just the tip of the iceberg in a deadly game for global dominance. Smaller or bigger players have their distinct roles in this chilling peek into a world of corruption and insatiable thirst for power.
Merciless Russian General Boris Grecken sends his Cambridge trained agent Yovani to infiltrate the crash investigation team. The NSA agents sent to retrieve the President’s brother’s body seem to have an agenda of their own. President Thompson himself has a poisonous microchip removed from the back of his neck by his long-life friend and hometown doctor. On top of everything, major global leaders are being targeted by a secret organization founded by the richest and most powerful men in the world.
Joseph Walls weaves the threads of an intricate plot involving a wide range of characters. At times, you may get confused in so many sub-plots, the quick change of setting and numerous characters. The third-person narrator effortlessly moves from the Alaskan on-site investigation headquarters to the President’s conference room in Washington, a prison cell or clandestine meeting places of fellow conspirators. Some interesting insertions could have been further exploited to add more weight to the book. For example, I have genuinely enjoyed John Thompson’s reflections on what makes a great leader and the reasons behind Hitler’s rise to power and subsequent demise.
My favorite character is Bruce Green, who is charged with terrorism and espionage and becomes the ideal scapegoat in the crash investigation. He is among the very few characters the author makes more credible. With so many things going on, the characters are only briefly outlined and lack the kind of depth that would have made them relatable. Apart from that, I could not avoid the feeling I was trespassing into a men’s world where women had no business to play. Even Deborah’s help in solving the conspiracy is belated and insufficiently supported by background information. I also found a large number of punctuation and grammar mistakes distracting me from fully enjoying the suspenseful action. For all these reasons, I am rating The Alaskan Incident 2 out of 4 stars. With a solid round of proofreading and editing, I am sure fans of spy novels and political thrillers will find the book an engaging read with many twists and turns and an unexpected ending.
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The Alaskan Incident
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