Book Review: The Reaper

Reviewed By: Luke Croll - RAM

The Reaper    
James H. Jackson
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Thriller
Headline; 2001; £10.99 (English pounds); 404pp
Classification: Adult fiction (thriller)

It all begins with a spectacular outrage in Rome. Uzi Pelham, a former member of a secret Israeli death squad, is called out of retirement in order to track the terrorists down. However, he is not up against any ordinary madman - he is battling someone determined to bring in the apocalypse.

After the events of September, I imagine that the attraction of books about terrorism is somewhat less. Whether it is down to my own personal taste or something else, 'The Reaper' just did not appeal. It was slow and Jackson never went into any detail. For instance, after the death of the Pope, I was expecting some level of detail to say exactly what happened - there was nothing.

In addition, in 'Cold Cut', his previous novel, he often switched locations without any warning, leaving the reader confused. Obviously, he feels that this is a good technique, as there is no change here. The actual plot is an interesting one, with great possibility for development but overall, 'The Reaper' was slow, voluminous and generally, not much of an enjoyable read. There a lot better terrorist thrillers out there, should anyone have the stomach to read them these days.

Luke Croll - RAM

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Luke Croll - RAM

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