RATS

A mysterious man on a motorcycle weaves his way through the northernmost parts of Alaska, dropping packages along a determined route. A young boy finds one of the packages and claims it as his own as it looks similar to a toy. A coordinated set of explosions rips apart the Trans Alaska pipeline, shocking the foundation of Washington to its core, and setting off financial shock waves as well. Washington looks at a terrorist act while spinning an accident to calm fears in a pending election year. General Billy Williams is on an elevated career track, and is assigned to investigate, while his intuitive girlfriend, Corporal (and Sharpshooter) Claire Ferreti hitches a ride on the trail of a villain known as “Daemon.” Williams sees a connection between previous acts of terror. With the use of a canny informant, he believes he has led Daemon into an ambush, with Claire as lead executioner in a team of shooters. The execution of the plan goes flawlessly, until another explosion changes everything. That’s when this roller coaster ride of a narrative speeds up through the hallways of Washington, where the evolution of warfare is changing, and power plays are being made to China, where a game of survival involves ever changing rules. The story itself becomes a puzzle as everyone looks to find the hidden pieces that might uncover the truth.

Joe Klingler’s novel is an intelligent, non-stop page turner. The characters are well written and believable, the technology detailed always engrossing, the story moves along almost effortlessly. The ramifications of the evolving technology is explored, whether through drone use or Artificial Intelligence. Klingler knows his technology, but also knows how to bring out depth in characters, major or not. This author has a vast potential future that is waiting to be unleashed.