Drummer in the Dark

Rating:
Summary: gritty
Review: a hard-hitting story that packs a punch, t davis bunn certainly delivers in this fast-paced political thriller

Rating:
Summary: Umm.. What was that again?
Review: I actually got lost in this book. I don't understand hedge funds and banking that well, so reading this book took a lot out of me. I was thinking so hard trying to understand what it all meant, how it all tied into the plot, that I missed out on the rest of the story. I finished this book feeling incomplete. I wasn't sure if I figured out who the real bad guy was, who the spies were, etc. I also got lost in trying to figure out how Jackie investigating Hayek and the banking stuff tied in with the congressman and his wife and this so called smear campaign. Overall, I rate this book with 3 stars. I liked the descriptions, but I couldn't fully grasp this story. If you understand hedge funds, politics, and banking then you could probably read it and enjoy it. But this book was not my favorite!

Rating:
Summary: Inaccuracies Plague Story
Review: Mr Bunn's biography on the end flap says "raised in North Carolina, taught in Switzerland, worked in Africa and the Middle East, and served as direct in Germany, currently lives in England." I can only wonder if he has ever spent much, if any, time at all in Florida. Having lived in Orlando for the past twenty-one years, I find it extremely annoying to read a novel about my city that is so full of inaccuracies. His geography is all mixed up, his roads are confused, and even the weather is incorrectly represented. In the twenty-one years I've been here, it never once hit 100 degrees, and certainly no where near that in April, for heaven's sake! Maybe this wouldn't bother someone who doesn't live here, but there's an old, but correct, saying: "Write about what you know." Mr Bunn simply does not know Orlando. It ruined the story for me.

Rating:
Summary: Inaccuracies Plague Story
Review: Mr Bunn's biography on the end flap says "raised in North Carolina, taught in Switzerland, worked in Africa and the Middle East, and served as direct in Germany, currently lives in England." I can only wonder if he has ever spent much, if any, time at all in Florida. Having lived in Orlando for the past twenty-one years, I find it extremely annoying to read a novel about my city that is so full of inaccuracies. His geography is all mixed up, his roads are confused, and even the weather is incorrectly represented. In the twenty-one years I've been here, it never once hit 100 degrees, and certainly no where near that in April, for heaven's sake! Maybe this wouldn't bother someone who doesn't live here, but there's an old, but correct, saying: "Write about what you know." Mr Bunn simply does not know Orlando. It ruined the story for me.

Rating:
Summary: A gripping political thriller
Review: Successful businessman Wynn Bryant is approached by his brother-in-law, the governor of Florida, to take over the position of congressman Hutchings, who has recently suffered a stroke. Wynn refuses, but quickly learns he has no choice, and the reason becomes clear...Legislation has recently put together the Jubilee Amendment which is to relieve Third World countries of their debt, and the governor was this squashed, no matter what the cost.

Jackie Havilland is working for a small detective agency when she is approached with a mysterious and unusual request...Esther Hutchings wants Jackie to find out who is behind the smear campaign of her husband, and make sure the Jubilee Amendment is passed.

As Jackie and Wynn become deeper involved in their assignments they realize there is a far reaching conspiracy, one that involves a secret project called Tsunami. Tsunami is the biggest currency scam in history, one that congressman Hutchings was investigating before his stroke. Before long Jackie and Wynn are faced with a deadly race against time with powerful forces. Forces that will kill anyone that gets in the way of their plan to reshape world economy.

`Drummer In The Dark' is a great follow-up to the best-selling `The Great Divide.' T. Davis Bunn has switched gears, and instead of giving us another legal thriller, he has given a fast-paced political thriller laced with intrigue. The plot, while complex, is well written, and easy to follow, with plot twists at every turn, and enough shocks to keep you turning the pages.

T. Davis Bunn is quickly jumping into the forefront of thriller writers, and proving he is a skilled storyteller with a knack for churning out bestsellers.

Nick Gonnella

Rating:
Summary: one of the best!
Review: T. Davis Bunn keeps getting better. Wow! I thought he'd found his niche with "The Great Divide" (his legal thriller), but this book of political and financial intrigue raises the standard even higher. I'm not a big stocks and funds enthusiast, but Bunn manages to create a suspenseful and well-researched plot that hooked me early on. He works in a credible idea of dealing with Third World debt that I particularly found interesting. Beyond his obvious knowledge of the subject, Bunn creates believable characters and writes with a narrative flair that I personally love. His story is complex and maybe too intertwined for some to delve into, but I couldn't get enough.

As the title of this review suggests, I did lose sleep finishing this book. But the title is stolen from Bunn's own writing. "Jackie's eyelids felt coated with shards from the hourglass of lost sleep." It's writing such as this, passionate and imaginative, that make the political and financial arena come alive. Jackie and Wynn, the two protaganists, are complex characters whom I came to care for. Although the spiritual lessons are muted and few, Bunn works in heartfelt and very real spiritual thoughts without seeming preachy.

With a recent batch of superlative novels by Christian authors("When Heaven Weeps" by Ted Dekker and "The List" by Robert Whitlow, to name a few), I must include "Drummer in the Dark" as one of my favorites.

Rating:
Summary: While I've never been a stock market person...
Review: This is an exception! Bunn shows some grit here and leaves the reader in a daze. He takes you through a few twists and turns, cracks and crevices, and succeeds in doing so, without losing you, yet still keeping you focused on the plot. Now, I've never understood the stock market, probably never will, but I did enjoy this. It really makes you think about what some people might do for the love of money. Jackie Havilland makes an awesome detective for Esther Cummings. Good action throughout the whole thing, yet with a small bit of melancholy. It almost makes you wish there was a sequel. Bunn has never been my favorite author, but one I've kept coming back to, for reasons such as this! Good job!