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Review by James Neal Webb
When it comes to technothrillers, I'm easy to please but hard to satisfy. I like details, but don't overdo it; I like nifty ideas, but don't strain my credulity. The more complex the plot, the better -- as long as it's plausible. You get the idea. I'm a writer's worst nightmare. Happily, Bob Mayer's new Dave Riley novel, Z, is a winner on all points.
Well, almost all -- the initial scenario of this book has U.S. troops on the ground in Angola as part of a joint operation to end a decades-long civil war. While I doubt Congress and the White House could agree on what color toilet paper to use in federal buildings, much less committing troops to war, if you accept this premise, the rest comes easy.
Ex-Green Beret Dave Riley is shepherding a cable news team into the heart of the action when another of the four horsemen makes an appearance -- pestilence. An Ebola-like plague begins to strike down both friend and enemy alike, and Riley finds himself quarantined, with time running out for him, and possibly the rest of the world. He, along with a crack Army medical team, have only a few days to discover the virus' secrets, and uncover what connection it could possibly have with a South African diamond cartel.
Z takes an original look at a simmering world hot spot, and generates a lot of suspense along the way. It'd be a good book to curl up with as winter ends.
©1997, ProMotion, inc.