A Devil Is Waiting

October 31, 2011
Capt. Sara Gideon, “a brilliant linguist” just home from a rough tour in Afghanistan, joins the can-do ranks of Great Britain’s anti-terrorism squad, the so-called “Prime Minister’s private army,” in bestseller Higgins’s rousing if predictable 19th thriller featuring former IRA enforcer Sean Dillon (after 2010’s The Judas Gate). Dillon and his team get on the trail of a Muslim terrorist, Ali Selim, who’s offering a blessing to anyone who assassinates leaders of the Western world, including the U.S. president, who’s soon due to arrive in London. Violence flares as the search extends from London to Pakistan and into the Persian Gulf, where the bad guys kidnap Gideon, heir to a banking fortune, and hold her for ransom. Higgins fans will appreciate the well-choreographed action sequences, but those seeking a nuanced view of the politics of terrorism or characters with real depth will have to look elsewhere.