Wild Fire
By Nelson DeMille
Warner Books, Large Print (2006)
Distributed by Thorndike Press
ISBN: 0-446-58021-X
Genre: Thriller
Reviewed by Herbert White - December 27, 2006
Wise cracking, incorrigible, and juvenile are not traits that you'd expect to find in a Former New York City Homicide Detective who currently works as contract agent with the Federal Anti-Terrorist Task Force (ATTF), but this description sums up John Corey's attitude and demeanor. As you might expect, he's also not very good at following orders. If he were not such an accomplished detective who always seems to manage to get the impossible done, he'd have been working as a security guard, years ago.
In Wild Fire, Nelson DeMille's newest book to feature Corey, the ace detective finds himself once again faced with an impossible task - stop a nuclear Armageddon from engulfing the world. To complicate matters, Corey is not even aware that this is his goal. When Harry Muller, a fellow agent on the ATTF, goes missing after being sent on a surveillance mission at the Custer Hill Club in the Adirondacks, Corey and his wife, FBI Special Agent Kate Mayfield set out to find their missing friend. What they find, however, draws them into a deadly web of intrigue that finds them on the run from their own people as they carry out an oft-times illegal investigation of Bain Maddox, a wealthy oil tycoon and owner of the Custer Hill Club, whom they believe is tied to their friend's disappearance.
***Alert - Spoiler to Follow***
This story takes place in the days shortly before the beginning of the second Gulf War, just before the American Invasion of Iraq. Maddox and a cadre of upper-echelon government officials are working on Project Green, a project which they feel will totally eliminate the threat from Islamic terrorists and which will avenge the deaths of September 11th. Maddox and his cadre are planning to launch a nuclear attack on one or more American cities in order to jump start Wild Fire, a prearranged, nuclear, reprisal attack on numerous cities and countries throughout the Islamic world - whether or not these targets had anything to do with the attack on America. Wild Fire is set up in such a way that once an American city is attached, the reprisals are automatic - the president is not required to authorize the nuclear reprisal - and he has little authority to cancel the attack. As Corey and his wife investigate Muller's disappearance, Maddox's actions take on an increasingly terrifying demeanor. It is up to Corey and Mayfield to stop Maddox from carrying out his twisted plan. (Spoiler Over)
On the surface, Wild Fire has a decent plot, however DeMille's narrative falls a bit short of the mark. The dialog in this novel is more banter than substance, and many of the plot elements are overly contrived. In addition, DeMille has liberally salted this story with so much profanity that it is not only annoying, but it also detracts from the story. As well he has thrown in a graphic, gratuitous sex scene or two that is totally out of place in the story, and reads more like filler than plot. In addition, DeMille gives Maddox a platform from which to preach a very long, boring, and bigoted speech on why it is necessary, and proper, to kill millions of innocent people just because a handful of their co-religionist are radical terrorists.
Negatives aside, and this story does have many, Wild Fire touches on some probable, and very scary scenarios that will make you wonder just what extremes some people (especially in the government) might be willing to go to if they thought that it could 'fix' a dangerous and costly problem. While definitely not one of DeMille's best offerings, Wild Fire is a quick read and perfect if you're in a situation where you can only read a little bit at a time and don't want to deal with anything weighty. This book is totally self-contained and can be read independently of the other books in the Detective John Corey series.
Warning: This book contains explicit adult situations, violence, and strong language.
Related Reviews:
The Lion's Game, By Nelson DeMille.
This fast paced thriller pits Asad Khalil, a terrorist who will stop at nothing to obtain the revenge he seeks, against the Anti-Terrorist Task Force, whose main job is to prevent terrorists, like Khalil, from succeeding. (Large Print)
Night Fall, by Nelson DeMille.
John Corey and his wife Kate, both members of the Federal Anti-terrorist Task Force, set out to find out what really happened to TWA Flight 800 after they find evidence of a cover-up. (Large Print)
