Review of Devil Among Us
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Sarah Schmidt
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Review of Devil Among Us
[Following is a volunteer review of "Devil Among Us" by Jack Winnick.]
Devil Among Us is the second book in the Lara and Uri spy thriller book series written by Jack Winnick. As the plots of each instalment are mostly unconnected, with only some references made to preceding events, this book can be read as a standalone.
When the worshippers at a Brooklyn synagogue are killed in an explosion, all evidence points to some Jews within the congregation being responsible. Clues turn up that point to another group, however. The jihadists are still passionate in their desire to annihilate all Jews. To do so, they need to eliminate the main supporter of the Israelis. Their plot involves masquerading as anti-Zionist Jews, particularly the Neturei Karta, to frame them as the culprits behind the bombing, leading to a withdrawal of support from the hated infidels. Lara Edmond, a Special Agent of the FBI, is tasked with uncovering the true masterminds behind the act of terrorism. This investigation requires the skills of Uri Levin, the Mossad agent who had teamed up with Lara on an earlier case. Lara and Uri are more than just colleagues, but the complications surrounding their love life, as well as their respective responsibilities, might doom their love before it even starts.
I liked that everyone could see the romantic connection between Lara and Uri, despite their many attempts to keep outward appearances professional and discreet. This little slice of romance acted as a satisfying complement to the action-centred bits. More morbidly, I also liked reading about how Uri dealt with Saleh Halibi, The Ghost.
One thing that persists in this series is the feel of a lack of suspense. There never seemed to be a moment when victory was not assured, as Lara and Uri were never truly stymied by anything their enemies did or ever at a loss for what conspiracy was afoot. All the clues fell right into their laps, leaving them eternally one step ahead of the Iranians, the Grand Mufti, and the Hezbollah. There was perhaps only one instance where I felt concerned for the protagonists, but that was over as soon as it began.
There were several errors noted while reading this book. It’s not overly noticeable in the first few chapters, but the standard of writing gradually deteriorated with the progression of the novel. Because of this, I assume that this book has not been professionally edited.
The number of errors present in this book call for a removal of one star from my final rating. As such, I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. I would recommend this book to people who enjoy spy novels that focus on international criminal activity or terrorism-based conspiracies. I do not think that this book is a good fit for people who prefer suspenseful stories with gory details.
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Devil Among Us
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Devil Among Us is the second book in the Lara and Uri spy thriller book series written by Jack Winnick. As the plots of each instalment are mostly unconnected, with only some references made to preceding events, this book can be read as a standalone.
When the worshippers at a Brooklyn synagogue are killed in an explosion, all evidence points to some Jews within the congregation being responsible. Clues turn up that point to another group, however. The jihadists are still passionate in their desire to annihilate all Jews. To do so, they need to eliminate the main supporter of the Israelis. Their plot involves masquerading as anti-Zionist Jews, particularly the Neturei Karta, to frame them as the culprits behind the bombing, leading to a withdrawal of support from the hated infidels. Lara Edmond, a Special Agent of the FBI, is tasked with uncovering the true masterminds behind the act of terrorism. This investigation requires the skills of Uri Levin, the Mossad agent who had teamed up with Lara on an earlier case. Lara and Uri are more than just colleagues, but the complications surrounding their love life, as well as their respective responsibilities, might doom their love before it even starts.
I liked that everyone could see the romantic connection between Lara and Uri, despite their many attempts to keep outward appearances professional and discreet. This little slice of romance acted as a satisfying complement to the action-centred bits. More morbidly, I also liked reading about how Uri dealt with Saleh Halibi, The Ghost.
One thing that persists in this series is the feel of a lack of suspense. There never seemed to be a moment when victory was not assured, as Lara and Uri were never truly stymied by anything their enemies did or ever at a loss for what conspiracy was afoot. All the clues fell right into their laps, leaving them eternally one step ahead of the Iranians, the Grand Mufti, and the Hezbollah. There was perhaps only one instance where I felt concerned for the protagonists, but that was over as soon as it began.
There were several errors noted while reading this book. It’s not overly noticeable in the first few chapters, but the standard of writing gradually deteriorated with the progression of the novel. Because of this, I assume that this book has not been professionally edited.
The number of errors present in this book call for a removal of one star from my final rating. As such, I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. I would recommend this book to people who enjoy spy novels that focus on international criminal activity or terrorism-based conspiracies. I do not think that this book is a good fit for people who prefer suspenseful stories with gory details.
******
Devil Among Us
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Artwords by Beatriz M. Robles
