Sunday, April 13, 2014

Book Review: Apocalypse by Dean Crawford

Synopsis:

In the notorious Bermuda Triangle, a private jet vanishes without a trace, taking with it scientists working for the world-famous philanthropist Joaquin Abell. Meanwhile, Captain Kyle Sears is called to a murder scene in Miami. A woman and her daughter have both been shot through the head. But within moments of arriving, Sears receives a phone call from the woman’s husband, physicist Charles Purcell.

“I did not kill my wife and child,” he says. “In less than twenty-four hours I will be murdered and I know the man who will kill me. My murderer does not yet know that he will commit the act.” With uncanny accuracy, Purcell goes on to predict the immediate future just as it unfolds around Sears, and leaves clues for a man he’s never met, former war correspondent Ethan Warner.

The hunt is on to find Purcell, and Warner is summoned by the Defense Intelligence Agency to lead the search. But this is no ordinary case, as Warner and his partner, Nicola Lopez, are about to discover. The future has changed its course, and timing is everything. The end is just beginning.

Relentlessly fast-paced and action-packed, Apocalypse combines realistic science, suspense, and intrigue to create an ingenious blockbuster thriller.


Touchstone | March 2014 | 416 pages | ISBN 9781451659498

My Review

Apocalypse is the latest novel in Dean Crawford's Ethan Warner thriller series.   In this novel Ethan and his partner Nicola Lopez are called upon by the Defense Intelligence Agency to help find scientist Charles Purcell, a man wanted for the murder of his wife and daughter but who claims to be innocent.   With Purcell correctly predicting events of the near-term future, however, it soon becomes apparent to both Warner and Lopez that there is much more to their search for Purcell than it first appears.  What follows is a race against time itself. 

In Apocalypse Dean Crawford has crafted a well-written, quick-paced scientific thriller that keeps the reader eagerly turning the pages.  The science is (thankfully) well-explained, although some of it didn't seem entirely plausible (although this could just be a result of me not being able to wrap my mind around the possibility of some of the science).  Ethan Warner is a complex protagonist and, while I've not read the other novels in this series, it is obvious that previous events in Ethan's life have played a large role in who he is and how he sees the world.   Crawford has also created an intriguing cast of supporting characters, many of whom you can't help but root for -- including Charles Purcell.  I found the novel's villain to be a bit over the top in terms of his vileness, but can't deny that his actions and Warner's attempts to foil them made for an entertaining read.   The novel's conclusion is gripping, and includes some unexpected twists that have definitely left me curious to know what's next for Ethan Warner.

While part of a series, Apocalypse can be enjoyed without having read the two novels in the series.  However, I definitely plan to go back and read them.

Recommended to fans of suspense and thriller novels. 

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Stars
Source: I received a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review


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