Title: Jericho’s Trumpet
Author: Robert Gallant
Publisher: iUniverse
ISBN: 9780595408801
Pages: 200
Genre: Fiction / Action & Adventure
Reviewed by: Joe Kilgore
Buy on AmazonPacific Book Review
Action abounds in this latest installment of the exploits of US government agents Travis Weld and Chesney Barrett. From shootouts, to hand-to-hand combat, to boudoir battles and death-defying rescues, the physical and sexual skirmishes splash spice on this Cajun Jambalaya adventure.
Weld is a stone cold operative renowned for leaving the bodies of bad guys in his wake. Barrett is his six-foot female recruit whose long legs and lithe physique are matched only by her quick wit, her soaring intellect, and a commitment to justice that knows no bounds. On her own time, she’s a graduate student dedicated to the preservation of the Atchafalaya Basin in Louisiana. Unfortunately, the evildoers in this yarn have chosen her back yard for their dastardly deeds—a decision they will come to regret.
It seems that two nuclear suitcase bombs have gone missing and agent Weld is tasked with finding them, plus making sure neither goes off. The story begins with a bang as he manages to track one of them down and retrieves it amid a hail of gunfire. He and his cohorts get a lead on the missing bomb and Barrett is brought in to help them recover it. Her task is to infiltrate an environmental organization that may be a front for an eco-terrorist group. They are protesting an international oil company’s expansion of its operations in South Louisiana and Weld fears they just might set off the nuclear device and try to blame it on the energy company. The majority of the novel revolves around Barrett’s undercover work (sensual as well as subversive) to learn the truth, leverage her position with the villains, and avert a disaster of horrific proportion.
The author does an excellent job of explaining the intricate concerns of both the environmentalists and industrialists caught in this tug of war between conservation and capitalism. While not totally disguising where his heart lies, he walks a fine line and manages to avoid painting either side with too broad a brush. He also keeps the requisite technical information, necessary for credibility, from slowing the pace of the story. A building sense of urgency is apparent throughout.
While Gallant’s characters are imbued with traits that some might find stereotypical, he still breathes life and energy into them with gusto. The bad guys are particularly smarmy. The good guys are heroically steadfast. And those who fall somewhere in between are understandably conflicted. Evocation of the southern lifestyle, especially as it relates to the Pelican state, is also realistically depicted.
In summary, this is a taught and tidy thriller likely to leave gourmets of the genre thoroughly well-fed.
