Power Play
by best-selling author Catherine
Coulter is a very fun read. This thriller once again headlines
FBI characters Dillon Savich and Lacey Sherlock. As with all
of her books she has two very suspenseful plot lines. Yet,
just when the reader has about all the intensity they can
manage she writes in a welcoming relief with very humorous
banter between the characters.
It becomes obvious through her storylines that she has the
upmost respect for these agents that put their lives on the
line to protect Americans. In this latest novel one plot has
Natalie Black, the US ambassador to the Court of St. James
returning to Washington in scandal. After her British fiancé
dies in a mysterious car accident rumors begin that she was
indirectly responsible. Shortly afterward she claims someone
tried to force her off the road just outside London. After
arriving back in the US she is nearly killed when a car attempts
to mow her down. Other than her daughter Perry, not many believe
her except FBI Special Agent Davis Sullivan, whom readers
might remember from another FBI thriller, Bombshell. As the
attempted murders intensify so does the plot where Davis,
Savich, and Sherlock search for clues to find those responsible.
If this were not enough a sub-plot has someone stalking Sherlock.
The stalker seems to be escalating to murder. Who is it and
why are doing this? Savich and Sherlock must find out before
this psychopathic killer from the book KnockOut kills her.
A side story involves Perry Black, the daughter of Natalie,
whose job is covering the Washington Redskins for the Post.
These scenes involving football are enjoyable to fans of the
sport. Perry describes Tim Tebow as “the Sea Biscuit
of the NFL,” and wishes he changed his position to a
tight end.
When asked why the football scenes, Coulter explained, “I'm
a die-hard pro football fan, not high school or college. I'm
not as immersed as Perry Black, a sports writer with the Washington
Post, whose father was the team doctor for the Redskins. However,
my own dad started me on football when I was eight years old.
We're talking Texas here, where the Cowboys are king. In fact,
I was so close to the Cowboys, I sat on Tom Landry's knee.
When I moved to San Francisco, however, things changed. I
was a 49er fan after the first year, and, needless to say,
came to hate the Cowboys with an enduring passion: a requirement
if you want to move to San Francisco.”
The protagonists are very likable while the antagonists are
very unlikable. Anyone reading this book will wish that Natalie
Black, the US Ambassador, would run for President since she
is the type of personality that Americans would want as their
first female President. She represents the modern day woman
who has spunk, intelligence, warmth, and great intuition.
Davis Sullivan is a take no prisoners kind of guy who is cocky,
smart, and funny. He has definitely met his match in Natalie’s
daughter, Perry.
Coulter noted, “Natalie and Davis's personalities are
clear from their opening scene. Davis has a Starbucks in his
left hand and his Glock in his right. As for Natalie Black,
even being held at gunpoint doesn't faze her. She's not a
coward, but a force of nature, ready for action. Natalie says
about Perry, her daughter, ‘Perry is no diplomat; if
someone threatened me or even made a snide remark, I might
end up seeing her give me her heartbreaker smile while she
stood over a bleeding body.’”
Another character, Nicholas Drummond, the main character in
Coulter's new series, A Brit in the FBI, is an agent-in-training
at the FBI Academy. He makes several appearances in Power
Play. The reader will see him in a starring role in The Lost
Key, published on September 30th. The plot has he and his
partner, Mike Caine, quickly discovering that a stabbing on
Wall Street leads to stopping a madman who is after a weapon
that could destroy the world.
Besides having the utmost respect for the FBI, Coulter also
admires those men and women who have served and are serving
this country. She is doing a book signing on the USS Midway
to help veterans and their families. She will be one of many
authors at the military book fair (http://www.militarybookfair.org/)
in San Diego on November 8th, and is hoping people will come
out to say hello.
Power Play is an entertaining book with a lot of
twists and turns including throwing the reader a major curve
ball. It is a page-turner that the reader will not want to
put down.
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