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5.0 out of 5 stars
Exciting tropical page-turner, 11 Mar 1999
By A Customer
This exciting five-star novel revolves around an act of political terrorism: The daring and bloody kidnaping of the First Lady, Linda Barnes Sheldon, from the ballroom of a downtown Miami hotel. Protagonist and small-scale contractor, John Deal becomes involved in it - he is kidnaped along with her as he tries to rescue her. John Deal is not your normal action hero who can catch flying bullets with his teeth. He is an ordinary guy who tries to do the right thing at the right time. He was going to receive a Presidential medal for rescuing 19 Cuban refugees from the Gulf Stream. John Deal and First Lady Sheldon are whisked away in an off-shore racing boat and held captive on a remote Bahamian island. Standiford's ability to write page-turning action has given us a compelling novel. While Deal and Sheldon try to escape, detective Driscoll is following leads in Miami. Beyond that, Standiford has the ability to tell the story through the minds of his diverse characters. Even the scumballs are given a chance to add their brush strokes to the panorama: "Two A.M., a hot June night, humidity pumping in off an Atlantic easterly, so much moisture in the air, you ought to be half fish just to be able to walk around, or so Ray Brisa was thinking." A unique quality of Standiford's fiction is his daring -- daring to add a touch of humanity to thriller fiction. John Deal is not a James Bond, looking for adventure. He is more like the guy next door - a solid citizen with normal aspirations and Everyman's share of the world's woes. The charm of this book, and of the other books in the Deal series, is how he rises to the occasion and the depth of character that is revealed. And Linda Sheldon is more than the figurehead First Lady - she is rendered as a believable character. Particularly touching is the relationship that develops between John Deal and Linda Sheldon as they struggle to escape. Standiford knows his way around boats and the Bahamas, and he doesn't mind making the reader feel like being there: "In the distance, hovering over the Biminis, a towering bank of cumulus reflecting the last pink glow of the sun. Stretched out just ahead, the waters of Biscayne Bay. Going steely now. Soon to be indigo, along with night."
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