Steven F.
Freeman has written nine books in The Blackwell Files series. I had already read
Tears of God and The Dig (books 7 and 9) and enjoyed them so much I wanted to
start at the beginning. That brought me to Nefarious. (The precis is below this
review)
I am not
usually a reader of war stories and although Nefarious begins during the war in
Afghanistan I would not class it as a war story. I think it would be described
better as action, mystery, thriller and intrigue, sweetened with just a touch
of romance.
The story
starts in Afghanistan then switches to what appears to be an unrelated story
back in the USA. Having read two of Mr Freeman’s other Blackwell Files stories
I trusted he would bring these together. He did and he did it skilfully.
The
combination of alternating locations and stories with short chapters has the
reader turning the pages to read “just one more chapter”.
There is never a dull
moment. Mr Freeman is a skilled writer able to combine effective descriptive
passages with conciseness.
The
greatest appreciation I had of Mr Freeman’s writing was when it came to
military terminology and jargon. Being totally ignorant in this field I did not
struggle with the war zone or military descriptors. Any acronyms used are explained and don’t
have the reader running to Google to find out what it is about.
Although
the first of a series, like Mr Freeman’s other Blackwell Files, it can be read
as a stand-alone. You won’t want to stop at one though; his stories and
characters are addictive and will have you coming back for more.
The characters are strong and very likeable (well, the
goodies are anyway).
Having read
later books in the series, I was familiar with the main characters and already
liked their personalities, intelligence and compassion. I was particularly
interested in how the relationship came about between Alton and Mallory and
also how they met Mastana. I wasn’t disappointed and look forward to their personalities
and relationships developing as I read the other stories. The other characters
are also well developed and easy to like or dislike according to their actions
and beliefs in the story.
My rating 4*
My rating 4*
Precis
When Army Communications Captain Alton Blackwell takes
a hit to the leg while on active duty in Afghanistan, his self-confidence and
leg are equally shattered in the explosion. Assigned to a desk job while
recovering, Blackwell nonetheless manages to prove his resourcefulness as he
matches wits with Al-Qaeda operatives in the dangerous regions of Kabul. Unable
to fully heal, he resigns himself to the abrupt end of his military career as
well as any hope to win the affections of the beautiful and intelligent
Lieutenant Mallory Wilson.
Upon returning state-side, the quiet civilian life is
quickly left far behind when Blackwell’s colleague Zach Lambert calls him from
a weekend camping trip in the throes of a devastating illness with forbidding
implications.
In a story out of today’s headlines, Blackwell and
now-FBI Agent Wilson explore the possible diversion of a biotech’s project to
develop an improved vaccine, scouring leads at the CDC and biotec company,
putting their Army and professional skills to the test, and narrowly escaping
agents with a murderous agenda at every turn. The closer they come to the
truth, the quicker the bodies pile up, along with the suspects. To get to the
bottom of the sinister scheme, can Blackwell still use wits when his body has
failed him? And will he survive long enough to tell his colleague of the
feelings for her he has long kept secret?
