Swift
Vengeance by T. J. Parker
starts out with a sharp cut, when someone is threatened with
decapitation. Drones play an important role as readers wonder
how they are used in today’s society, able to enter
someone’s private premises, used for business purposes,
or in warfare to kill the terrorists before they behead someone.
Parker noted, “Drones are in the news a lot. The government
had to pass who could fly a drone and where. It is scary where
we are going with them. The drone teams are put in an air-conditioned
trailer outside of Las Vegas and fly live missions over countries
in the Middle East The logistics of how it works is mind boggling.
This book goes into how Lindsey’s actions in the military
and the resulting consequences of those actions come back
to haunt her. Drone pilots seem to have to face ethical issues
over the course of their career. Their nerves are shot, and
many have trouble handling the long confinement. The duties
are far different psychologically than being a physical pilot.”
Lindsey Rakes was part of a team of U.S.-based drone operators
attacking terrorists. The psychological toll of the work eventually
led her into a downward spiral of drinking and gambling. Trying
to regain her family, she’s now in recovery. But her
life is thrown into a tail-spin after someone threatens to
behead her. After going on a date with Saudi born Rasha Samara,
a collector of Arabian horses, she receives a written death
threat, “Vengeance is justice,” signed “Caliphornia,”
The handwriting looks very similar to the Rasha’s signature
found on a note. She asks her old friend, private detective
Roland Ford to investigate. Knowing he needs more resources
he consults with FBI Agent Joan Taucher. The violence increases
when Kenny Bryce, a former Air Force colleague of Lindsey’s
is beheaded. Taucher and Ford know time is running out and
must quickly find who is “Caliphornia” before
more decapitations occur.
“I tend to write characters in pairs. Joan and Lindsey
are both duty bound. Neither are proud or ashamed for the
work they have done. They are tough and pragmatic. I think
those in the military and law enforcement have more than a
little in common.”
This realistic page-turner has readers taking a journey with
the characters
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