Review by IchbineinBerliner -- Waterworks by Jack Winnick

[IchbineinBerliner]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Waterworks" by Jack Winnick.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Waterworks by Jack Winnick is the fifth spy thriller in the Lara and Uri series. This time Middle Eastern terrorists poison the Los Angeles municipal water supply, and only good luck and a rapid response by the municipal water quality team keep the casualties to a minimum. Now, newlyweds Lara Edmond from the FBI and Uri Levin from the Mossad must cut their vacation short and go back to work. They are assigned to split up and go undercover separately in the Middle East. Their mission is to identify the terrorists and determine their next targets before they strike again.

This Jack Winnick thriller is detailed, interesting, and fast-paced. The author skillfully blends long, thorough discussions of espionage-related skills with frequent changes of perspective, and somehow he manages to make it all unbearably suspenseful. I have read all five of the books in this series, and I still don't understand how he pulls it off. Jack Winnick has a gift for explaining relevant aspects of toxicology and spycraft so that they are understandable, but the descriptions don’t detract from the suspense. If anything, they enhance it. He also draws his characters in detail. Even the terrorists and their military mentors are three-dimensional characters. The more relevant Middle Eastern civilian characters were described in detail, too, and they were generally sympathetic.

The best part of Waterworks was the frequent changes in perspective which occurred at the beginning of most of the chapters. After the first few chapters, the narration moved to Uri, then to Lara, then to one of the various terrorists. I used to think frequent changes in perspective were distracting, but here it only added to the suspense. Reading the perspective of the terrorists was especially unsettling. At least, it helped me understand people who expect to get into Heaven by killing millions. The descriptions of the painstaking groundwork and planning for and by Lara and Uri as they prepare to go undercover helped draw out the suspense. It gives the reader an uneasy, edge-of-your-seat feeling long before the protagonists were actually deployed overseas. I also liked the descriptions of everyday life in the Middle East, but there were just a few of those.

I never found anything to dislike about this novel, unless you count the terrorists themselves, who are an essential component of the plot. Jack Winnick is good at getting inside the minds of these people, or, at least, what I imagine the inside of their minds would be like. The only problem is I felt like I needed a bath after reading about the terrorists’ plans for mass murder/martyrdom. Seriously, the changes in perspective throughout the book are fascinating, and they add to the suspense, especially when they are describing a terrorist’s viewpoint.

I give this book 4 out of 4 stars. It is exceptionally well edited, and I found no typos at all. There is rare profanity, and a few risqué jokes by the terrorists, and some violence. It is not for children. Waterworks is the fifth novel with the same protagonists, but it can be read alone. It will appeal to anyone who likes espionage thrillers.

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Waterworks
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[Topsey]

This is a really compelling review - to the extent I must have a look at this author’s previous works. The concept of reading from the terrorist’s perspective is both unsettling and intriguing and I must commend the author’s choice to do this immensely.

[AnnOgochukwu]

Wow. I've been following this series, from the reviews (lol). And it seems to only get better, more intense and more intriguing. I love an author who can keep the suspense all the way.
And I love your review style, it's very explanatory and to easy to understand.

[jennydelacruz]

I agree with you in all points. I've read and reviewed this book a while back and yes, it is detailed, interesting, and fast-paced. Great review!

[Jennifer Garcia 555]

I agree with this entire review. I have read 3 of the 5 books in this series and really like how they can all be stand alone stories but they do tie together if you read them all. Excellent series.