Book Review: All the Queen's Men

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

All the Queen's Men     Amazon US HC Amazon Canada HC
Linda Howard
Class/Genre:   Romance   Thriller   High-Tech
Series: John Medina # 2
Pocket, Aug 1999, $23.00, 332 pp.

He is the spy who never came in from the cold. Instead, he constantly changes faces and identities seemingly as often as the moon changes phases. Niema Burdock first met him in Iran in 1994 when he was her and her spouse’s team leader. He used the alias Tucker as a cover as he led his team on the successful mission of blowing up a biological weapons manufacturing plant. However, Niema’s husband died during the endeavor.

Niema has not heard from the maverick in years and he would not recognize her personality. Iran turned her from a major risk taker who seems to feel only right when her adrenaline pumps to extraordinary levels to a very staid person. Tucker reenters her life, demanding her cooperation on his latest mission. Unable to say no to the danger or the man, she agrees to join him on the mission that places both of them in a perilous situation.

Linda Howard’s romantic thrillers are constantly excellent novels that make it difficult for fans to wait the year between tales. ALL THE QUEEN’S MEN has more suspense and action than the usual Ms. Howard book, but that only amplifies the passion and tension that readers feel between the lead protagonists. Linda Howard has become so phenomenally good, she seems to have no sub-genre peers.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner