Review by Harty -- The Interloper by Dave Zeltserman
Posted: 15 Apr 2020, 15:44
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Interloper" by Dave Zeltserman.]
The activities of a secretive government department spawn a tale of mistrust and betrayal among its employees and the general public. Nevertheless, the most dramatic aspect of this tale is the way the events depicted unfold and how unpredictable the characters’ behavior becomes, as they struggle to stay alive and eke out a living. In short, The Interloper by Dave Zeltserman is a fast-paced novel, which is guaranteed to keep the reader engrossed until the end.
After several tours of overseas duty with the U.S. Army, Dan Willis feels uninspired, and consequently, voluntarily resigns from service. Not long afterward, he discovers that he has a talent in selling liquor, a job he enjoys and excels in until he’s suddenly declared redundant. With the rate of unemployment high, however, Willis finds it hard to get rehired. With time, the going gets tough for him. He’s soon in despair and about to choose either to commit suicide or live a life of crime. Just in the nick of time, for all that, Willis receives a mysterious call from The Factory.
I found Zeltserman’s third-person omniscient perspective appropriate because of the multitude of characters in his book. Willis interacts with several minor but important characters in his narrative, including hitmen, bureaucrats, and ordinary folks. Accordingly, the reader gets to know of the characters’ inner thoughts way before, or long after, an incident occurs: for example, shortly after the mysterious call from The Factory, and early in my reading, I learned that Willis was on the prowl for his twenty-fourth murder victim!
It’s such shocking and foreshadowing details—such as the number of murders committed by Willis—that make Zeltserman’s novel unpredictable. As well, the plot twists are many and scattered throughout the novel. One particularly bizarre and enduring one involved the nature of the work commissioned by the so-called Homeland Protection Department (The Factory) to its agents. This issue could well be the thing I disliked the most about this story.
Able to pass as a Spy fiction, Zeltserman’s novel evokes a sense of adventure. We have the department’s agents being outfitted with the latest gadgets that can open electric locks, disable home alarm systems, and track their victims. However, these perpetrators of mayhem live a life akin to selling one’s soul to the devil: they have the money but have a dark soul. Indeed, since he took the job with The Factory, Willis' even lost all the interest with the ladies: “The last time he’d been with a woman was thirteen months ago.”
As I finish, despite being fairly long (292 pages), the book is well-edited. The few errors I identified included three typos and a misplaced word. This book will appeal the most to those who like espionage novels. There’s, nevertheless, a lot of bloodshed, so I’d only recommend it to mature readers. Lastly, since it’s well-edited and I enjoyed reading it, I rate it 4 out of 4 stars.
******
The Interloper
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
The activities of a secretive government department spawn a tale of mistrust and betrayal among its employees and the general public. Nevertheless, the most dramatic aspect of this tale is the way the events depicted unfold and how unpredictable the characters’ behavior becomes, as they struggle to stay alive and eke out a living. In short, The Interloper by Dave Zeltserman is a fast-paced novel, which is guaranteed to keep the reader engrossed until the end.
After several tours of overseas duty with the U.S. Army, Dan Willis feels uninspired, and consequently, voluntarily resigns from service. Not long afterward, he discovers that he has a talent in selling liquor, a job he enjoys and excels in until he’s suddenly declared redundant. With the rate of unemployment high, however, Willis finds it hard to get rehired. With time, the going gets tough for him. He’s soon in despair and about to choose either to commit suicide or live a life of crime. Just in the nick of time, for all that, Willis receives a mysterious call from The Factory.
I found Zeltserman’s third-person omniscient perspective appropriate because of the multitude of characters in his book. Willis interacts with several minor but important characters in his narrative, including hitmen, bureaucrats, and ordinary folks. Accordingly, the reader gets to know of the characters’ inner thoughts way before, or long after, an incident occurs: for example, shortly after the mysterious call from The Factory, and early in my reading, I learned that Willis was on the prowl for his twenty-fourth murder victim!
It’s such shocking and foreshadowing details—such as the number of murders committed by Willis—that make Zeltserman’s novel unpredictable. As well, the plot twists are many and scattered throughout the novel. One particularly bizarre and enduring one involved the nature of the work commissioned by the so-called Homeland Protection Department (The Factory) to its agents. This issue could well be the thing I disliked the most about this story.
Able to pass as a Spy fiction, Zeltserman’s novel evokes a sense of adventure. We have the department’s agents being outfitted with the latest gadgets that can open electric locks, disable home alarm systems, and track their victims. However, these perpetrators of mayhem live a life akin to selling one’s soul to the devil: they have the money but have a dark soul. Indeed, since he took the job with The Factory, Willis' even lost all the interest with the ladies: “The last time he’d been with a woman was thirteen months ago.”
As I finish, despite being fairly long (292 pages), the book is well-edited. The few errors I identified included three typos and a misplaced word. This book will appeal the most to those who like espionage novels. There’s, nevertheless, a lot of bloodshed, so I’d only recommend it to mature readers. Lastly, since it’s well-edited and I enjoyed reading it, I rate it 4 out of 4 stars.
******
The Interloper
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
