My review of Island Inferno by Chuck Holton
Posted by:
Michelle Sutton on
July 14, 2007 at
3:02PM EST
Task Force Valor
Explosive Ordnance Disposal–The Bomb Squad
As
the global war on terror heats up, the U.S. deploys a team of highly
trained special operators overseas to locate and neutralize threats,
bringing EOD expertise to dangerous missions that have no room for
error.
A DEADLY EXPLOSIVE
A new specialty
explosive is on the black market: ITEB looks like water, but when it’s
exposed to air, the effects are lethal! The United States government is
frantic to keep it from our shores. Staff Sergeant Euripides “Rip”
Rubio knows how destructive ITEB can be. He has already risked his life
to thwart a horrific terrorist plot involving the chemical. Now Task
Force Valor heads to Panama, on the trail of an arms dealer who plans
to use ITEB to make a killing–literally.
AN ADVENTURE ABROAD
Fernanda
Lerida is a University of Panama grad student who jumps at the chance
to join a biological expedition to a mysterious former prison island.
But the snakes, bugs, and crocodiles are soon the least of her worries
as the group stumbles upon something they were not meant to see. To
make matters worse, Fernanda soon finds herself alone and being pursued
by an unseen foe.
A RISKY RESCUE
When Rip’s path
collides with Fernanda’s, they find themselves caught in the midst of a
brutal turf war. Can they use the chaos to their advantage, or will one
false step set the entire island ablaze?
Fernanda
is on the run. Rip is on a mission. They're both caught in a dangerous
turf war. Will the chaos catapult them to safety...or lead to their
worst nightmare?
My review:
Island Inferno
is a page-turning suspense novel that you don't want to miss. I had not
read the first book in the series and didn't feel like I missed out, so
I think this can be enjoyed as a stand-alone novel (though now that
I've finished the story I'm dying to read the sequel).
The
author takes you to numerous settings and countries and puts you into
the heads of the good guys and the bad. In some ways this book made me
feel like I was in Jurassic Park, but minus the dinosaurs. Island Inferno
even had college students exploring the island, totally unsuspecting
what was going on behind the vegetation. And that bottled water was
downright scary because you never knew when someone would take a swig
and possible blow up. I couldn't stop reading this book! It contained
enemies who were just as frightening and deadly as man-eating
dinosaurs, and you never knew when they would appear and kill someone.
Very exciting and nerve-wracking.
I also totally loved the
special forces and commando feel of the book. You can see that the
author has experience because the details show that he knows what he's
writing about, which makes it feel even more real. My favorite
characters were Rip and Fernanda. The end of the story was fabulous and
even a tad romantic, and while it wrapped up some details, it left just
enough loose ends for a sequel.
The spiritual thread in this
story truly impressed me--how the circumstances opened up situations
where people truly wanted to know God in a personal way. It came out
very naturally through the plot, and in my opinion was one of the best
things about the story. While packed with a variety of violent
situations (I'm quite squeamish and the details were awesome), the
story would be lifeless without the James Bond/Mission Impossible feel
to it. I highly recommend this book! In fact, I think it would make an
awesome movie, too.
Island Inferno was published by Multnomah and released in May 2007.
