The Valley of Shadows

April 4, 2011
Terry mashes the action pedal to the floor in his solid fourth Derek Stillwater novel (after The Fallen), then attempts to keep the plot and characters on the road as they careen down the thriller mountain. Derek, a Homeland Security agent, joins a team investigating a terror threat against five major U.S. cities set for election day in November. Not someone who works well with others at the best of times, Derek's dismayed to be partnered with nuclear weapons expert Cassandra O'Reilly, with whom he's had a rocky former personal and professional relationship. They have two days to locate the Pakistani mastermind behind the planned attacks, former art history professor Miraj Khan (aka Kalakar). When a final target looms in Kalakar's sights, Derek's efforts to thwart this attack provide the novel's exciting conclusion. Readers will have little time or inclination to search for subtleties as they happily race along with the indestructible Derek.

May 1, 2011

Terry's latest thriller featuring Derek Stillwater (The Fallen; The Serpent's Kiss) is a tepid, fractured affair. As Derek bounces from Pakistan to L.A. in pursuit of terrorists planning a series of attacks on Election Day, Terry loses a lot of momentum along the way. Derek, his nemesis/superior, and the obligatory sacrificial agent are all clumsily developed, and the only character Terry seems to have invested any emotion in is a fringe player in the real attack. Great concept, clunky execution.

Copyright 2011 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2011
Derek Stillwater returns in another intense and fast-paced thrill ride. Stillwater has been assigned to a special Homeland Security team when information is uncovered revealing that a series of simultaneous attacks on several U.S. cities is imminent. He and his team fly to Los Angeles with the hope of unraveling the plot and stopping the terrorists in time. As other teams investigate in the other cities, Stillwater uses all of his former contacts to get some answers, but a big question remains: Is the terrorists agenda meant to hide some other tactical mission? Stillwater remains a fascinating character, and Terrys ability to amp up the suspense shows that hes at the top of his game here. Readers of Vince Flynn and Brad Thor will devour this one. Though its the fifth in the series, its a great place to start, but those jumping in here will immediately be clamoring for Terrys previous books.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)