Murder on the Metro
Capital Crimes #31
By Margaret Truman, Jon Land
ISBN 9781250238870
jonlandbooks.com
Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Jeanie
Synopsis:
In Margaret Truman’s Murder on the Metro, Jon Land’s first thrilling addition to the New York Times bestselling Capital Crimes series, Robert Brixton uncovers a sinister plot threatening millions of American lives!
Israel: A drone-based terrorist attack kills dozens on a sun-splashed beach in Caesarea.
Washington: America awakens to the shattering news that Vice President Stephanie Davenport has died of an apparent heart attack.
That same morning, a chance encounter on the Washington Metro results in international private investigator Robert Brixton thwarting an attempted terrorist bombing. Brixton has no reason to suspect that the three incidents have anything in common, until he’s contacted by Kendra Rendine, the Secret Service agent who headed up the vice president’s security detail. Rendine is convinced the vice president was murdered and needs Brixton’s investigative expertise to find out why.
In Israel, meanwhile, legendary anti-terrorist fighter Lia Ganz launches her own crusade against the perpetrators of that attack which nearly claimed the lives of her and granddaughter. Ganz’s trail will ultimately take her to Washington where she joins forces with Brixton to uncover an impossible link between the deadly attack on Caesarea and the attempted Metro bombing, as well as the death of the vice president.
The connection lies in the highest corridors of power in Washington where a deadly plot with unimaginable consequences has been hatched. With the clock ticking toward doomsday, Brixton and Ganz race against time to save millions of American lives who will otherwise become collateral damage to a conspiracy destined to change the United States forever. (from Goodreads)
Review:
What a stunning, outstanding thriller! This is the kind of novel that kept me up at night…not just reading, but also thinking about how real it could become. There is an amazing cast of honorable characters, many of whom I easily empathized with. Those who are dishonorable don’t appear to be at first. Throughout the novel however, they ooze out of the woodwork. Serving one’s country has never been so dangerously deceptive.
Lia, nicknamed the Lioness of Judah, has been retired from the Israeli Defense Force since incurring an injury three years earlier. She and her three-year-old grandbaby are in the water at the beach in Caesarea, Israel when she hears engines. She sees drones heading toward those who are on the beach and is horrified as many of the students on school holiday are mowed down by the weapons on the drones. Had Lia not been in the water, where the drones did not attack, she and her granddaughter would have been among the casualties.
Robert Brixton, a private investigator with international ties, and formerly contracted to provide security for the state department, is on the Metro in DC, heading for an early morning meeting. Aware of his surroundings, he sees a woman with the look of someone about to cause trouble. He recognized it on another face five years earlier, unfortunately too late to get his daughter out of a restaurant before the suicide bomber pulled the cord. When she realizes she has been made, he follows her with his weapon drawn but knows that to shoot her could cause reflexive detonation. She stepped between the cars and the ensuing blast did not do the intended murderous damage.
Kendra is head of the vice president’s Secret Service detail. Stephanie is the first female VP and is admired by most, no matter their party. A few weeks earlier she had stents placed in three arteries and has several things in place to monitor her heart for potential problems. The procedure seemed to have been successful until the night the alert came through Kendra’s earpiece shortly after leaving the VP. Despite attempts to resuscitate, it is too late. The Vice President is gone.
Each do the best they can to follow up with contacts they know before two of them tentatively work together. Others from the alphabet soup of three-letter agencies seek to help – or hinder – what they are doing. What they know for sure is that the threat is coming from inside the United States, possibly the upper echelons of government. What they find is horrifying; this should never happen in America. Good people die trying to find where and how the attack will occur. A few of the bad guys, hired “ghosts”, begin to die, also. Nothing could prepare them for the massive attack that is coming.
Robert, and Lia to a smaller degree, are the only characters that we get to learn more about beyond their current situation and position; others are defined according to their role. I like all the protagonists, including the one who gives them the exact clue they need. All are brilliant, well-trained, and have connections that can get them information or additional contacts as needed. They have a strong sense of justice and love for their respective countries.
The plot is exquisitely executed, with a volatile conclusion that is choreographed well with one scene reminiscent of a John Wayne movie. Plot twists throughout led up to this conclusion, and all loose ends are tied up. This is also a testimony to long-term friendships and business relationships and the tremendous value of seasoned agents of change. One can’t be too old to make a difference! I very much enjoyed this novel and am looking forward to the next one; I highly recommend this incredible thriller!
