I remember very well the morning of September 11, 2001: the
breaking news of a fire at the World Trade Center evolving
quickly into the knowledge that the United States was under
attack. The events of that day, the war on terror, and the
death of Osama bin Laden all lead up to the events of THE
INTERCEPT, a riveting thriller by "Law and Order" creator
Dick Wolf.
The first few chapters are set-up. It's all relevant, but
it's more the day-to-day analysis and investigation of
potential terrorist threats. The story really gets going
when a passenger on an international flight tries to hijack
the plane. His intent: to repeat the events of 9/11. A
flight attendant and five passengers help take him down.
These heroes become celebrities, drawn into TV appearances,
July 4th festivities, and a special celebration marking the
dawn of a new day in New York.
But in the shadows, the rest of the terrorist plot is still
unfolding. It's up to the dedicated men and women of the New
York City Police Department's Intelligence Division to
figure it out.
Dick Wolf knows the NYPD, he knows New York, and he knows
how to tell a good story. THE INTERCEPT builds slowly, the
suspense growing until the final chapters when everything is
on the line and the action is moving at breakneck pace,
piling on shock, hope, anger, tragedy, fear, and relief.
Everything that happens is unfathomable but entirely
plausible, and that's what makes this story, this terrorist
plot so terrifyingly real.
If you enjoy police procedurals, political suspense,
mysteries or thrillers, give THE INTERCEPT your undivided
attention for a few hours. It's a great read.
Dick Wolf makes his literary debut with this tense, driving
thriller, reminiscent of the classic The Day of the Jackal,
an extraordinary tale filled with the ingenious twists and
high-wire suspense we have come to expect from this master
storyteller
Days before the July Fourth holiday and the dedication of
One World Trade Center at Ground Zero, an incident aboard a
commercial jet flying over the Atlantic Ocean reminds
everyone that vigilance is not a task to be taken lightly.
But for iconoclastic NYPD detective Jeremy Fisk, it may also
be a signal that there is much more to this case than the
easy answer of this being just the work of another lone
terrorist.
Fisk—assigned to the department's Intelligence Division, a
well-funded antiterror unit modeled on the CIA—suspects that
the event might also be a warning sign that another,
potentially more extraordinary scheme has been set in
motion. Fluent in Arabic and the ways of his opponents, Fisk
is a rule breaker who follows his gut—even if it means
defying those above him in the department's food chain. So
when a passenger from the same plane, a Saudi Arabian
national, disappears into the crowds of Manhattan, it's up
to Fisk and his partner Krina Gersten to find him before the
celebrations begin.
Watching each new lead fizzle, chasing shadows to dead ends,
Fisk and Gersten quickly realize that their opponents are
smarter and more agile than any they have ever faced.
Extremely clever and seemingly invisible, they are able to
exploit any security weak-ness and anticipate Fisk's every
move . . . and time is running out.
For a debut book, it is totally professional and top-notch! That is to be expected, of course, from Dick Wolf, the creator of LAW & ORDER.
I would definitely recommend THE EXECUTION for anyone who likes suspense and/or police procedural books! Absolutely riveting! (Audrey Lawrence 9:38pm January 30, 2014)