Paul Hood the erstwhile head
of The Op-Centre has resigned so that he can try and put his flailing personal
life back on track. He leaves behind an organization with a impressive success
ratio in all their endeavors to contain wars and mitigate threats to world peace. Yet even as his professional
life shines his personal life is dismal. In a desperate bid to make amends, he takes
his family for a trip to New York where his daughter will be performing
as part of a music ensemble’ at the United Nations. That is where all hell
breaks loose as the venue is taken over by armed gunmen who will stop at
nothing to get their demands met.
Who are these men and what
do they want? Set against a backdrop of diplomacy and international relations
Hood turns to the true professionals who can help him in his hour of need ‘The
Op-Centre’.
In true Tom Clancy style the
novel is a fast paced, electric read. The build-up is racy and the plot holds
tight. The character of Hood is well
sketched and aptly brings out his ambivalent feelings towards his marriage and
his job. The scenarios of the working of the U.N are realistic as are the
action sequences and the dynamics between the various protagonists in a hostage
situation.
If I had a gripe with the
story it was that there was just too much background; even though it
was well researched and written. Yes, I
do want to know something about the characters but two paragraphs would do just
as well. I found myself skipping over all these background descriptions as they
just became too detailed.
Other than that, a great book
and that is why I would give it a four star rating.
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