Smoke Screen: A Novel

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding
Review: Biological warfare here in the US? It's a distinct possibility, and this novel plays upon that fear with plausible characters and a thrill-a-minute story line. Like any good book, this one will run you through a gamut of emotions. The ending is particularly satisfying, too. Why not 5 stars? Because unnecessary elements (the Chinese mafia, stake-out agents, and others) are introduced and are truly unnecessary to the story line. Still, highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Smoke Screen:a novel
Review: I cannot believe I have lived and read as long as I have, and missed this author. I am extremely critical of those who write and are lazy -- that is, do not keep their charecters in charecter, force the plot, or take themselves too seriously. Vincent Patrick is like a surgeon -- he cuts cleanly through the entire novel, and his people are so real, you expect to walk into them when you leave the house. I especially loved the way he drew and maintained the charecter of his terrorist. I was reminded of my ethics classes and the slippery slope, this time into the comfort of American technology. Please treat yourself to this delightfully written piece, so we can convince Patrick to keep his pen in hand!

Rating:
Summary: Good read, but should have been edited better!
Review: I question Mr. Patrick's research not to mention his editors. There is nothing worse than reading along at a fast clip and hitting a speed bump, such as finding a sentence where a young Italian boy is saying goodnight to his elderly Italian neighbor by saying "Buena notte" A serious literary speed bump, especially for something as basic as 'goodnight'! AND...A Spanish-speaking man who received a childhood nickname because he was skinny would probably not call himself 'Flocko'. Flaco, maybe, but Flocko? I doubt it. And an Italian-speaking bank robber, who the plot reveals learned Spanish in prison, overhears a conversation in Spanish where someone says that the 'cosas' are in upstate New York. He recounts the conversation to his partner, saying he wasn't sure what the word 'cosas' meant. Well , if he knew some Spanish, as we were told a few chapters earlier, he would have no problem with this word. And as if that isn't ridiculous enough, cosas means the same thing in Italian as it does in Spanish. Apparently somebody was asleep on the job when this was in the edit stages. I found Smoke Screen to be entertaining, for the most part, although I do agree with one of the other customer reviews which complains about tangents in the plot, such as the Asian gang and the 'cosa nostra' and Russian mob stuff which is never really developed. It is a fun read. But not stellar.

Rating:
Summary: Unconventional thriller
Review: The premise behind this book is very good. Capture a Cuban terrorist who arrives in the US, but make it look like something else. The "something else" becomes a hotel robbery that goes bad and the Cuban winds up being taken as a hostage. However, the hotel heist really does go bad and the Cuban escapes, along with ten million dollars in diamonds. Teddy Tedesco, ex-New York cop, must find the terrorist before he releases a deadly air-borne virus at a political convention in New York City.

As I said, the premise and the plot are quite good and convoluted. Just when you think you have the whole thing figured out Mr. Patrick throws another monkey wrench into the deal and you're off in another direction. However, I had a hard time finishing this book. Mr.Patrick is a very low-key writer and at times the writing fails to generate the excitement the plot calls for. It's not a bad book, far from it, but it didn't grip me with the same intensity of say a James Lee Burke novel.

Rating:
Summary: Unconventional thriller
Review: The premise behind this book is very good. Capture a Cuban terrorist who arrives in the US, but make it look like something else. The "something else" becomes a hotel robbery that goes bad and the Cuban winds up being taken as a hostage. However, the hotel heist really does go bad and the Cuban escapes, along with ten million dollars in diamonds. Teddy Tedesco, ex-New York cop, must find the terrorist before he releases a deadly air-borne virus at a political convention in New York City.

As I said, the premise and the plot are quite good and convoluted. Just when you think you have the whole thing figured out Mr. Patrick throws another monkey wrench into the deal and you're off in another direction. However, I had a hard time finishing this book. Mr.Patrick is a very low-key writer and at times the writing fails to generate the excitement the plot calls for. It's not a bad book, far from it, but it didn't grip me with the same intensity of say a James Lee Burke novel.

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding
Review: Top notch thriller, mystery. It is very realistic and true to its subject matter. One mistake is on page 223 at the top, where it refers to taking a Glock pistol off safety. Glocks have no safety in the conventional sense, and there is nothing to take off. The only safety is the unique trigger, which is an automatic safety of sorts. This is my first time to read a book by Mr. Patrick, and it will not be my last.