Deep Black: Biowar
By Stephen Coonts and Jim DeFelice Wheeler Large Print - (2004)
ISBN: 1-58724-852-2
Genre: Suspense - Military Techno-Thriller
Reviewed by Herbert White - February 7, 2005
When Dr. James Kegan disappears, he leaves behind more than just a mystery. He also leaves a dead man. Normally, a missing person case is, at best, a job for the FBI. However, the NSA (National Security Agency) takes an active interest in this case because Kegan is a germ warfare specialist who might be tied to a terrorist group. NSA agent Charlie Dean, a member of the ultra-covert Deep Black force, draws the assignment of finding out what happened to Kegan - and getting him back if at all possible. Dean takes this assignment to heart, in part because Kegan is his best friend and because he knows that if the information in Kegan's head falls into the wrong hands - they can easily use it to create a weapon of mass destruction.
To discover the truth behind Kegan's disappearance, Dean goes undercover, infiltrating himself with Kegan's friends and associates. In ferreting out the truth, Dean is aided by Lia Francesca, a beautiful woman and ex-member of the Delta Force. As events unfold, they are apparently too late. A deadly fever has emerged that is spreading rapidly. Is it just a coincidence, or an act of bio-terrorism? To find out, they'll have to find Kegan - or at least figure out a way of deciphering his research. Yet, even with knowledge of the disease's origin - there is no guarantee that they'll be able to find a cure in time to prevent a pandemic.
Deep Black: Biowar is a collaboration between Stephen Coonts and Jim DeFelice. Both are skilled authors, and although this book is an entertaining and quick read, it is not one of their best works. It is filled with the requisite number of unique gadgets, spies, bad guys, and the story has a scary and believable premise - but the story never really seems to take off. While not the best work of these two authors, it is a diverting book and one that is worth reading if for no other reason than to pick apart the stories faults. Deep Black: Biowar is the second book in Stephen Coonts and Jim DeFelice Deep Black series. The first book in the series was simply entitled, Deep Black and it introduced the reader to Charlie and Lia.
Related Reviews:
Deep Black, By Stephen Coonts and Jim DeFelice.
A U.S. spy plane is mysteriously downed while spying on Russia. To find out how it was downed, and who did it, the National Security Agency tasks its covert special-ops Deep Black team to find out what happened - and to stop the incident from blowing up into World War III. (large print)
Liberty, by Stephen Coonts.
In this Jake Grafton novel, Grafton is charged with the task of stopping a terrorist group from exploding four nuclear weapons on American soil. (large print)
