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In this post-9/11 terrorism thriller, the Anti-Terrorism Task Force (ATTF) led by Mark Jason, Jr. is trying to stay one step ahead of a terrorist cell led by Jari, the mastermind behind an impending attack on multiple targets in the United States. The tactics of the ATTF are showcased as the team investigates complicated webs of hidden identities, banking transactions, and business ownership. The layered facades created by Jari to conceal his extremist ideology, true identity, and catastrophic intentions are effective as he sets up multiple targets and diversions. The complexities of anti-terrorism efforts are laid bare as the team wrestles with issues of security, privacy, vigilance, and paranoia. The ATTF must anticipate targets by understanding the mind of the terrorist, by understanding history, and by understanding the nation’s vulnerabilities.
Nathan also incorporates several appealing characters that heighten the suspense and broaden the reading audience to include older teens. These younger readers will appreciate the storyline of Jeremy, a gifted high school student caught up in the terrorist plot. The chapters move seamlessly from the world of high school to the world of a terrorist cell with hidden dangers from epic historic and ideological origins playing out alongside first love, family troubles, and school bullies. The use of teenagers who are active and knowledgeable about real-world issues affecting them every day rings true and timely. Nathan, a retired educator, understands and respects teenagers as capable participants in the epic struggle to protect citizens from terrorists. This novel is a worthy addition to the growing collection of post-9/11 fiction. By providing the perspectives of both the terrorists and the task force created to stop them, the story leaves the reader with a deeper understanding of how vulnerable the world can be to acts of terrorism.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review