The Lightning Stones

What geologist can shoot a gun like that? Philip Mercer can, and he's out to catch those who killed his friend. The villains are the Earth Action League, as well as a French renewable energy magnate who's backing the ecological group for his own purposes. Mercer finds that the trail leads to Amelia Earhart's long-lost plane and its deadly cargo. Narrator Scott Brick doesn't go over the top, but he keeps danger in the air during the many passages of fights and gunplay, right up to the final explosion. Occasionally, he lets in a hint of humor, as when Mercer deals with an FBI "door kicker." Listeners whose interest is piqued will find a well-read, fast-paced action story. J.A.S. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine

June 29, 2015
A prologue set in 1937 in bestseller Du Brul’s fast-paced eighth Philip Mercer thriller (after 2006’s Havoc) offers a new explanation for the disappearance of aviatrix Amelia Earhart—some rock samples she was asked to transport emitted electromagnetic forces that skewed her navigator’s readings. In the present, Mercer, a geological consultant, has come to Minnesota’s Leister Deep Mine to teach mine rescue techniques. In another part of the mine, gunmen slaughter a team of scientists—headed by Mercer’s role model and surrogate father, retired professor Abraham Jacobs—who are studying climate change and cosmic rays. Vowing revenge, Mercer dedicates himself to tracking down the killers and their paymaster. There are some nice touches (e.g., a villain takes advantage of cap-and-trade limits on carbon emissions to make millions), but not every reader will be able to relate to an action hero who takes time during a gun battle to notice a woman’s “jeans stretched tight across her backside.” Agent: Robert DiForio, DiForio Agency.