Day of Wrath

June 1, 1998
A by-the-numbers affair about a terrorist nuclear attack on the U.S., Bond's lackluster latest begins when FBI agent Helen Gray and U.S. Army colonel Peter Thorn arrive in Russia to investigate the mysterious crash of a Russian cargo plane that happened to be carrying a team of American arms inspectors. The local authorities try to make the crash look like an accident, but their thinly veiled attempts at deception fail to convince Gray and Thorn, who quickly find evidence of a hidden shipment of nuclear missiles and embark on a hunt that takes the duo across Europe, where they are betrayed by a high-level FBI mole, and eventually leads them home--to Washington, D.C., where a corrupt Arab prince is masterminding plans for a lethal warhead launch. An engaging, adventurous romantic couple, Thorn and Gray have a flair for high-risk solutions that pushes the pace in the second half of the book. But Bond spends far too much time in the first half following the missiles on their labyrinthine journey, and there's nothing terribly innovative or exciting in that part of the narrative or any of the subsequent plot twists. Readers who enjoyed the high-stakes hijinks of Gray and Thorn in The Enemy Within may find their curiosity piqued, but there's little in this tale to separate Bond's fifth novel from the flotsam and jetsam of the genre.

April 1, 1998
Bond, a former naval intelligence officer, is the author of four best-sellers, "Red Phoenix" (1989), "Vortex" (1991), "Cauldron" (1995), and "The Enemy Within" (1996). In this "time is running out" thriller, the world's richest man, a Saudi prince, is also a dangerous terrorist who has bought nuclear weapons from Russia. He controls the deadliest terrorist groups on earth, and his plan is to destroy the U.S. He aims a nuclear-armed aircraft at the Pentagon, putting most of Washington inside the bomb's blast and shock radius. Bond's two protagonists from "Enemy" are back, U.S. Army Colonel Peter Thorn and FBI Special Agent Helen Gray. Again, it's their job to save the world from this evil plot. There are some ghoulish scenes, lots of military jargon, and a few hackneyed phrases (When was the last time anyone said, "I suggest we skedaddle" ?). But Bond probably has another best-seller on his hands, and his fans will be clamoring for it. ((Reviewed April 1, 1998))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1998, American Library Association.)