August 2024
Which book has moved or engaged you? Please share it with other CCW members. We accept all genres. Tell us what the book is about (without giving away any spoilers), your reaction to it and why. Please send book reviews to Barbara.siebeneick@gmail.com. This month’s review is from Scotty Cornfield.
Stinger: An International Thriller By Gregory D. Lee Publisher: Black Rose Writing (2024)
I first learned about author Gregory D. Lee when I read a story in the Monterey Herald about him and his debut novel, Stinger: An International Thriller. The article chronicled his career, and after seeing all of the things we had in common (undercover drug work, federal and local law enforcement experience, time at the FBI Academy in Quantico, both authors), I knew we’d have a great time comparing notes. I met the part-time Monterey Peninsula resident for lunch and he told me about his career and his novel. I ordered a copy right after lunch, and a few days later, I had finished the book. Yeah it’s a fast read, with lots of twists and turns, and enough authenticity that I actually had a flashback or two, as the story unfolded.
Even though the author’s career was spent working for the DEA, he was one of the few agents who worked internationally, and he tapped into his time in Pakistan to weave what truly is an international thriller (as advertised). The story begins in Beirut with a kidnapping, quickly shifting to Los Angeles, where a wild plot unfolds that involves a DEA informant who gets recruited by the CIA to perform a mission unlike anything he’s ever done as an informant. They want him to obtain a stinger missile.
The action ramps up from there and never really slows down, as the DEA, FBI and CIA are all involved in what turns out to be an extremely dangerous undercover transaction, with stakes about as high as they come. If the stinger winds up in the wrong hands, anything can happen. Heads will roll and careers will end—and those are just the minor concerns. Needless to say, the higher the stakes, the more likely it is that things will go wrong. Add to the mix the fact that not everybody has the best of intentions—or a firm allegiance to telling the truth, and Stinger is a thoroughly entertaining tale with more than a few genuine twists that you won’t see coming. I don’t know what Greg has planned for the future, but if it involves writing more fiction, he can count on me for another sale.
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