Review of East Wind, 2nd Edition

[Nikki Simpson 4]

[Following is a volunteer review of "East Wind, 2nd Edition" by Jack Winnick.]

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3 out of 5 stars

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East Wind by Jack Winnick is a fictional thriller that reads more like a textbook on American/Middle East politics and nuclear physics in some chapters. This seems fitting considering the author is a professor of thermodynamics. While these technical chapters slowed down the speed of reading to absorb this information (and slightly lowered the pleasure reading aspect of the novel for those less inclined to find reading textbooks enjoyable), Winnick weaves a solid plot that uses all of this information to paint a picture of America under attack.

The author does a great job of introducing characters within the story to tackle different aspects of the plot. Some are struggling with the mental/emotional challenges of human nature when under extreme stress while other characters are there for the physical labor of the book. Most of the characters are portrayed as a little more static than is typical of characters in a suspense/thriller type story, but the interplay between the characters keeps the focus on the overall investigation aspect. The most dynamic person within the book ends up being someone other than the main protagonists.

Lara Edmund, a 31-year-old American computer genius/field agent for the FBI teams up with Uri Levin, a 41-year-old Israeli operative within the secretive Kidon forces of Mossad, to stop a nuclear attack by Hezbollah extremists. The duo uses new computer programming technology paired with age-old spy trickery to try to locate and stop another Islamic attack on American soil.

The whole book reads as a condemnation of Islamic extremism while supporting the existence of Israel, making it a book appealing mostly to those open to discussion of these subjects or in favor of this world view. It could be triggering to those sensitive to the 9/11 attacks in New York; however, the jacket description should help those people prepare for or avoid this book.

All in all, this book should be rated 3 out of 5 stars. The technicality of some chapters is daunting in the depth of information contained therein, and the protagonists are a little too static. The action does eventually return after the textbook-style information dump, but there's little to no surprise in overall outcome.

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East Wind, 2nd Edition
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