Jamie DeBroux could be the luckiest unlucky man around.
Then again, not many people can endure the living hell of
Jamie's action-packed morning and not be considered lucky.
Jamie is on paternity leave when he receives a notice to
attend a mandatory staff meeting on a Saturday morning.
Seven people meet in the company conference room where they
are to drink a poisonous drink, which will kill them
peacefully. If they choose not to do so, their boss will
shoot them in the head. David, the boss, has booby-trapped
the stairways with a poisonous gas, the elevators are set
to bypass the floor, and hidden explosives are to be
detonated on the top floors of the building, burning up all
the evidence. Everyone is to die -- one way or another.
Jamie doesn't know what's going on. He watches as a
coworker drinks the champagne concoction, immediately
passes out and then stops breathing. His boss explains that
the company is a cover for covert operations in the
intelligence field. They've been shut down; there is no
other option. Just as David pulls out a gun, one of the
females, Molly, pulls out a gun and shoots David, rendering
him paralyzed but still alive.
Molly is out to prove herself worthy enough to be spared,
worthy enough to be promoted in the secret operation. She
selectively kills her coworkers, knowing that monitors are
recording events so the unknown viewer can decide if Molly
has what it takes. Secretly in love with Jamie, Molly does
not intend for him to die, just make it look like she's
toying with him before she kills him.
Jamie interacts with the others before they're killed,
trying to piece together the horror that's unfolding before
him. He's determined to get out of the building, return to
his wife and baby, and put the horror of the last few hours
behind him. However, for Jamie, the horror has just begun.
SEVERANCE PACKAGE is a quick, exciting read that held my
attention page after page, all the way to the startling
conclusion. Duane Swierczynski's tense thriller
moves at lightening speed, delivering action upon
staggering action. Definitely a must-read for thriller
lovers.
Jamie DeBroux’s boss has called a special meeting for
all “key personnel” at 9:00 a.m. on a hot Saturday in
August.
When Jamie arrives, the conference room is stocked with
cookies and champagne. His boss smiles and tells his
employees, “We’re a cover for a branch of the intelligence
community. And we’re being shut down.” Jamie’s boss then
tells everyone to drink some champagne, and in a few
seconds they’ll fall asleep---for good. If they refuse,
they’ll be shot in the head.
Escape is not an option. Jamie’s boss has shut down the
elevators and rigged the fire towers with chemical bombs.
Panic sets in, chaos erupts, and no one is sure whom to
trust. Jamie quickly realizes that there’s only one way
he’s ever going to see his family again: the hard way.
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