Review of Waterworks
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Review of Waterworks
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Waterworks" by Jack Winnick.]
Eddie was finally convinced by his friend Steve to move to Los Angeles and settle there. He got a job at the Los Angeles Aqueduct Filtration Plant. Thousands of miles away, a wicked plot was being hatched, with plans for striking deadly terror in a specific location. For Eddie, it was just a normal day at work, but the situation quickly changed when dead goldfish were discovered in the laboratory, along with five dead seagulls outside. A message was sent advising people to avoid using the water for food preparation or drinking. Despite testing the water, the chemists found nothing out of the ordinary. Were the animals already dead, as some suggested? After all, all the chemical parameters were still within their normal limits. Then, Dr. Regis Trombley, the chief scientist at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), announced that the water was safe and drank some on live camera.
Waterworks is a mystery, thriller, and suspense novel by Jack Winnick. The fifth book in the Lara and Uri series explores the evolution of terror and the lengths to which evil forces can go to achieve their objectives. When investigative agencies are at a loss and no new clues emerge, a seemingly insignificant sock—accidentally dropped—becomes a crucial lead. This small mistake violates the terrorists' strict instructions and proves the importance of keen observation. However, some agents are embedded within some institutions, working for the enemy. Fortunately, Lara Edmond and Uri Levin, who are on vacation in Los Angeles, are called in to save the day again. They find themselves embedded deep within enemy lines in another country, operating at the highest levels of military operations and intelligence.
I have been following Jack Winnick's work, and the author's books are on my want-to-read shelf. Having read several reviews of Waterworks, including its sample on Amazon, I was unsure whether there would be any surprises at all. But I can now confidently say that even those familiar with the reviews will still find the book gripping. It is a fast-paced, tense race against time to thwart a terrorist plot, uncover the strategic facilities they use, and eliminate the poisonous polonium threat at its source, preventing it from being used again. The book also immerses readers in the dangerous world of espionage and counter-espionage. I enjoyed the entire story, and while reading the earlier books in the series would be beneficial, the fifth book can be enjoyed as a stand-alone novel.
I rate Waterworks four out of five stars. The ending felt somewhat rushed, and some parts were not entirely believable. Also, extensive background checks for Lara and Uri, working under new identities (Heydar and Daria, respectively), are not conducted as part of their hiring process. In a world where the fields of intelligence and counterintelligence are constantly evolving, more thorough background checks, including their previous employers, would have seemed more plausible, despite the need for their skills. Nonetheless, the book remains an exhilarating read, and I believe it still deserves a high rating as the issues above do not warrant taking away more than one star from the overall rating. Fans of mystery, thrillers, and suspense will thoroughly enjoy this novel.
******
Waterworks
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Eddie was finally convinced by his friend Steve to move to Los Angeles and settle there. He got a job at the Los Angeles Aqueduct Filtration Plant. Thousands of miles away, a wicked plot was being hatched, with plans for striking deadly terror in a specific location. For Eddie, it was just a normal day at work, but the situation quickly changed when dead goldfish were discovered in the laboratory, along with five dead seagulls outside. A message was sent advising people to avoid using the water for food preparation or drinking. Despite testing the water, the chemists found nothing out of the ordinary. Were the animals already dead, as some suggested? After all, all the chemical parameters were still within their normal limits. Then, Dr. Regis Trombley, the chief scientist at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), announced that the water was safe and drank some on live camera.
Waterworks is a mystery, thriller, and suspense novel by Jack Winnick. The fifth book in the Lara and Uri series explores the evolution of terror and the lengths to which evil forces can go to achieve their objectives. When investigative agencies are at a loss and no new clues emerge, a seemingly insignificant sock—accidentally dropped—becomes a crucial lead. This small mistake violates the terrorists' strict instructions and proves the importance of keen observation. However, some agents are embedded within some institutions, working for the enemy. Fortunately, Lara Edmond and Uri Levin, who are on vacation in Los Angeles, are called in to save the day again. They find themselves embedded deep within enemy lines in another country, operating at the highest levels of military operations and intelligence.
I have been following Jack Winnick's work, and the author's books are on my want-to-read shelf. Having read several reviews of Waterworks, including its sample on Amazon, I was unsure whether there would be any surprises at all. But I can now confidently say that even those familiar with the reviews will still find the book gripping. It is a fast-paced, tense race against time to thwart a terrorist plot, uncover the strategic facilities they use, and eliminate the poisonous polonium threat at its source, preventing it from being used again. The book also immerses readers in the dangerous world of espionage and counter-espionage. I enjoyed the entire story, and while reading the earlier books in the series would be beneficial, the fifth book can be enjoyed as a stand-alone novel.
I rate Waterworks four out of five stars. The ending felt somewhat rushed, and some parts were not entirely believable. Also, extensive background checks for Lara and Uri, working under new identities (Heydar and Daria, respectively), are not conducted as part of their hiring process. In a world where the fields of intelligence and counterintelligence are constantly evolving, more thorough background checks, including their previous employers, would have seemed more plausible, despite the need for their skills. Nonetheless, the book remains an exhilarating read, and I believe it still deserves a high rating as the issues above do not warrant taking away more than one star from the overall rating. Fans of mystery, thrillers, and suspense will thoroughly enjoy this novel.
******
Waterworks
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
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