2013 Book Review #6: The Panther

This was a long book.  THICK book!

But it was good as all of DeMille's books are, in my opinion. I have not read one yet that didn't grab me and pull me in.  I particularly like his books that center around John Corey (Anti-Terrorist Task Force agent) and his wife Kate Manfield (FBI agent). 

STORY SUMMARY

This novel begins in New York City, where John and Kate work and live.  They go to Yemen.....a Middle Eastern country that is known as "the land that time forgot".  It ends in New York City.

Yemen is one of the most dangerous places in the Middle East and John and Kate have just accepted a job. It's a mission really....to track down one of the masterminds involved in the bombing of the USS Cole.  The person behind the bombing is a high-ranking Al Qaeda operative.  He is known as The Panther.  He is wanted for multiple terrorist attacks and murders.  The U.S.government is determined to bring him down.  It doesn't matter at what cost.

Soon, Kate and John realize they are being used as bait to capture The Panther.  And The Panther is looking to avenge the death of Asad Khalil who was the Libyan terrorist known as The Lion.  John had recently killed The Lion in New York City (in a previous novel).

John and Kate learn that there is more to this mission than meets the eye----and that the hunters are about to become the hunted...........

Will they find The Panther before The Panther finds them?

Will they have any allies in Yemen......what about the Bedouins who hate the Al Qaeda movement yet also distrust their own Yemeni government?

Who will win this war on terror?

MY THOUGHTS

 I really enjoyed this novel because, like I said above, I really like the characters that DeMille has established.  Not all of his novels center around John Corey and Kate Manfield, though.  His other books like The General's Daughter (also a movie, but the novel is better in my opinion!) and The Charm School do not feature John and Kate.  I have read every DeMille book since The Charm School came out in 1988.

This one captured my attention mainly because of the location. I didn't know much about Yemen before reading this and I was fascinated to learn that many Biblical scholars consider this country to be the area where Noah's Ark landed after the Flood.  There is a lot of Middle Eastern history in the book and in some places, the description of the war on terror, the Al Qaeda movement, and the various Islamic rules/methods/ways of life just slowed me down.  But, in retrospect, I'm glad the author included this history......it's a good read to learn about the roots of terrorism.

It also left me feeling like....well, how vulnerable we really are, here in the USA...even with all of our homeland security!!

I didn't really like all the "yuck" in the book...the description of Hellfire missiles, death and destruction, etc. but then again war is never pretty, is it?

I did like how John's wit comes out as he relates to other FBI, CIA, and Yemeni government workers.  

I did feel a little bogged down though with much of the war description, the "behind the scenes" action that goes on with the CIA, etc.  But if you can get past some of the military stuff, it's a fast read.

If you like action-packed novels, with a bit of mystery, you will like this novel.

If you've never read any of DeMille's novels, I suggest you start with the first John Corey book which is titled Plum Island.  It really shows the development of his character.  But, as with any good author, you can pick up any of the novels and get a feel for the already developed characters.  They are THAT good.

I believe this book is appropriate for ages 16 and older.

On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest, I rate this a 9.