CIRCLE OF DEATH

4 stars out of 5

I'll go on record as saying this one is about as implausible as they come, but it didn't take long before I jettisoned my "Awww, c'mon, you can't be serious" attitude and enjoyed the heck out of it. It doesn't hurt, of course, that I'm old enough to have been a huge fan of "The Shadow" radio broadcasts, which ran from 1937 to 1954 (never mind where I fit into that timeline). This book is the second in the series featuring The Shadow's alter ego, Lamont Cranston; it's a first for me, but it won't be the last.

The year is 2088; a lot has happened since those old radio shows came to a halt. The Shadow, needless to say, didn't; in fact, it seems he's been rather active for way longer than we ever suspected. These days, he lives as Lamont Cranston in New York with his wife, Margo Lane (remember her??), his "youngest living descendent" Maddy and Maddy's grandmother Jessica; the city is just starting to recover after devastation caused by a baddie named Shiwan Khan before The Shadow brought him down. Margo has a few powers of her own, honed from years earlier, and Maddy, well, is a prodigy. The world, it seems, is divided into two major sections, with each "ruled" by a leader. As part of New York's recovery, the city is hosting a World's Fair - a blatant attempt at boosting goodwill and good feelings amid an overall atmosphere of despair.

But the powers-that-be are so consumed with maintaining a feel-good atmosphere that they sweep some nasty incidents under the rug - incidents that don't go unnoticed by Lamont and Margo nor, when they hit "home," Maddy - a headstrong girl who's just beginning to grow into awareness of her heritage and capabilities. Beyond that, it appears there's a ne'er-do-well who seems to be trying to destroy the world as it exists - known only as Command - and it's up to Lamont to put the kabosh on his mission (encouraged by the President of the Americas). To do that, Lamont calls in the troops - descendants of his trusted colleagues from the past, like Jericho, Moe, Burbank, Hawkeye and Tapper.

From this point on, you're on your own; I won't spill the beans except to say that there's fodder left for the next adventure (but really, who knows what lurks?). I'm already salivating; meantime, I'll thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for letting me read and review a pre-release copy of this one. 

Circle of Death by James Patterson and Brian Sitts (Grand Central Publishing, July 2023); 368 pp.

BLOWBACK

4 stars out of 5

A president who's mentally bonkers? Wow, what a concept! Kudos to the authors for a timely topic that showcases what can happen when the leader of the free world's power is totally unchecked. U.S. President Keegan Barrett doesn't have orange hair, nor is he inclined to throw ketchup at walls - but he does believe the only way to get "them" is for him to get them first.

He's got a diabolical plan that starts with a loyal-to-the-core assistant and formation of two teams of CIA operatives - one domestic and one foreign - led by Noa Himel and Liam Grey; they're charged with carrying out the President's direct orders, which are kept secret from all the other government leaders because a) Barrett doesn't trust anyone and b) he's the only one who's right. If everything goes the way he's sure it will, he'll end up a dictator who's admired and revered; after all, he deserves no less. If millions of people's lives are disrupted - and death arguably is the biggest disruption there is - everyone who's left will agree he did it all for love of country.

Also loyal to the core are Liam and Noa - that is, until they're not; nasty things happen (some of which they're ordered by the President to make happen) that lead them to the smell of a rat - a rat with two legs who acts suspiciously like the man they've sworn an oath to obey no matter what. Gradually, the light dawns; but now that they can see where the path they're on leads, what can they do to prevent the biggest disaster the world has ever known? 

Worse, the whole thing is a ticking time bomb; it's not just a matter of stopping the President, but stopping him fast. And when his word is everyone's command, the whole thing turns into a James Bond "Goldfinger" countdown that, of course, keeps readers on the edge of their seats (well, it did me, at least). Some parts are predictable, others elicited a few gasps and the whole thing is a fast-paced adventure. Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy.

Blowback by James Patterson and Brendon DuBois (Little, Brown and Co., September 2022); 513 pp.