Gideon's War

November 8, 2010
This loosely plotted thriller, Hollywood screenwriter Gordon's first novel, lurches unpredictably from backstory to frenzied present-day action, employing a 24-hour ticking clock for suspense. The U.S. president dispatches professional peacemaker Gideon Davis, whose career as a special envoy has taken him around the world, to the sultanate of Mohan, a small Pacific island nation, where a rising Islamist insurgency under the leadership of terrorist Abu Nasir threatens to overthrow the local, American-friendly government. That Gideon's beloved brother, Tillman, is caught in the deadly conflict raises the personal stakes. Gideon ends up on a giant deep sea oil rig, the Obelisk, where he must battle insurgents bent on destroying the platform. Frantic action featuring miraculous escapes isn't enough to compensate for a silly plot, grandiose characters, and unbelievable twists, though fans of the TV show 24, of which the author is the executive producer, may be satisfied.

Howard Gideon, an international negotiator, refuses to believe that his brother, Tillman, could have turned into a brutal terrorist, regardless of what the government says. He puts his loyalty to the test when he's called upon to persuade his brother to surrender an oil rig he has overtaken. Narrator Carlos Bernard, best known as Tony Almeida on "24," turns in an expert performance as the peaceful Gideon is forced to fight for his life and his brother's soul. His skills, and Gordon's writing, keep listeners breathless as the plot unfolds. Nothing is as it seems. M.S. (c) AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine

June 1, 2011

In this debut action thriller by Gordon (www.howardmgordon.com), executive producer of the hit show 24, presidential peace envoy Gideon Davis tries to quell a Jihad uprising focused on an oil rig situated off shore from the Pacific island nation of Mohan, where a mounting Islamist insurgency threatens to overthrow the local U.S.-friendly government. The personal stakes are raised when Gideon's older brother, Tillman Davis, gets caught in the crossfire, and pressure further increases with the introduction of a ticking time bomb and the impending destruction of the oil rig (managed by lovely Kate Murphy) by a typhoon. Actor/narrator Carlos Bernard, who plays Tony Almeida on 24, delivers an intriguing rendering of the overblown characters and unbelievable plot twists. The chapter-long tracks may be an issue for listeners anticipating frequent interruptions. A marginal purchase of greatest interest to 24fans. ["Essential...for fans of political and action thrillers," read the review of the Touchstone hc, LJ 12/10.--Ed.]--Sandy Glover, Camas P.L., WA

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