Liberty
Stephen Coonts
(Sr. Staff Reviewer - D. H. BROWN)
2003 St. Martin's Press
ISBN: 031228361X
Jake Grafton is back in our post-9/11 world where terrorists have nuclear weapons & there's a spy high in the US government.
In a secret meeting with the President, Grafton is ordered to stop the unthinkable before it's too late--no matter the cost. From a murder in a Washington suburb to a Cairo cemetery to the decks of a freighter that disappears into the fog, Grafton sets out in a teeth-grinding, hair-raising chase of drama & heroism.
Sr. Staff Reviewer D. H. BROWN writes:
One of the things that is a complete tickle-job to me is being associated with RebeccasReads & having land in my lap advanced uncorrected proofs, long before anyone else gets their hands on the finished book. Such a thing happened when Liberty, a Jack Grafton novel by Stephen Coonts via St. Martin's Press, came tumbling out of the mailbox.
Rebecca barely had time to get it databased before I grabbed it & tiptoed off to the toolies of my armchair where I quietly began to read.
One of the things that I have been waiting for is novels in the thriller genre of a post-9/11 world. Oh, I know, the rumors are rife that Clancy has a new major work coming out & that there are several major producers of fiction with books in the works about Homeland Security, some of which may already be out, they just haven't got to me yet. So this was a first for me, & Oh, I thoroughly enjoyed it!
Of course, I've always liked Coonts' Jake Grafton series & have followed him diligently throughout his career. I remember when I was first introduced to him in The Intruders--as a young pilot flying Intruders in Viet Nam. One thing that has struck me since the world changed on September 11, 2001, is how I'm hearing the bones of destiny rattling in their leather bag, & how I seem to be holding my breath wondering if they will be thrown--again. It's as if the major characters on the world stage, both terrorist & governments, are trying desperately to push & pull events at the same time.
In Liberty, the President makes a profound statement about the state of the world & what would happen if a nuclear weapon was in fact detonated in the United States. With such an occurrence the wrath of America & all of her might would be unleashed. One such weapon would not kill America, what it would do is completely destroy the Islamic world, & we would not ever be going to that war alone. Those terrorists who want to bring back the Middle Ages would unleash the industrial might of the First World in such a way that it could only be called genocide, much the same way we exterminate a house full of cockroaches.
Needless to say, I found Liberty exciting, I also found it both sobering & thought-provoking.
In this work, Stephen Coonts has stepped up to the plate, & with one mighty swing of the bat has launched the ball of thriller fiction right out of the ball park.
D. H. BROWN
A RebeccasReads.Com Sr. Staff Reviewer
Reviewer's Bio:
D. H. BROWN is the author of the critically acclaimed HONOR DUE and the Citizens Warrior Series. The son of missionary parents and with the help his Uncle Sam, he has touched base in more than 40 countries. In 1986 he produced the independent children's film Lessie's Rainbow. During the late 80s and early 90s, he wrote the book Common Sense and delivered the seminars of the same name for the Community Action Network of Seattle (CAN). While doing his early Vietnam recovery work, he counseled Veterans and spoke widely to men's groups in Washington state, and was a founder of The Lodge of the Wolf.
D. H. BROWN has worked as a Logistics and Weapons Specialist in Viet Nam; day laborer; Director of Security; Armored Car Driver; Police Officer; Professional Hunting Guide; Trapper; Dog Sledder; Homesteader; Truck Driver; General Contractor; Minister; Editor; Writer; Speaker; Restaurateur; Movie Producer; Antique Restoration Specialist; Personal Care Worker; PC Repair Specialist; Computer Instructor; Webmaster and Web Designer. "I write about what I know."
He lives deep in the Pacific Northwest rainforest with his wife, author and editor Rebecca and Buddy Dog, working on his next book.
Visit him at: www.dhbrownbooks.com
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RebeccasiReads.com
D. H. BROWN is the author of the critically acclaimed HONOR DUE and the Citizens Warrior Series. The son of missionary parents and with the help his Uncle Sam, he has touched base in more than 40 countries. In 1986 he produced the independent children's film Lessie's Rainbow. During the late 80s and early 90s, he wrote the book Common Sense and delivered the seminars of the same name for the Community Action Network of Seattle (CAN). While doing his early Vietnam recovery work, he counseled Veterans and spoke widely to men's groups in Washington state, and was a founder of The Lodge of the Wolf.