Title: God’s Domain
Author: Robert Gallant
Publisher: Bookmark Publications
ISBN: 9781732297753
Pages: 256
Genre: Action/Adventure, Mystery, Thriller and Suspense
Reviewed by: Jake Bishop
Pacific Book Review
God’s Domain is the latest installment in the adventures of Chesney Barrett and Travis Weld. Barrett is a six-foot blonde stunner who occasionally takes time off from her environmental research in the Louisiana swamps to lend a hand to Weld’s secret government team charged with blunting terrorist threats and doing major damage to the illegal drug trade. Barrett would be happy to see their relationship become something more than professional, but that would require the ice in Weld’s veins to melt back into blood, which doesn’t look like it’s going to happen anytime soon.
In this iteration, Weld calls on Barrett to help free an America being held by guerillas in the jungles of Mexico. The wet work starts early as Barrett applies both her feminine wiles and her aptitude for lethality. Before you know it an all-out assault and firefight is underway in the rebel stronghold and Barrett is on the run with not one, but two hostages. Their sprint for freedom becomes a compelling page-turner as author Gallant’s prose depicts their dash for safe harbor with cinematic intensity.
There is indeed no rest for the weary however as Weld’s friend, one of the hostages father, talks Barrett into accompanying his son on an archeological expedition to South America. The son, in addition to being brilliant, is a naive idealist. His father, in addition to being rich, is a savvy businessman who realizes there may be a lot of money to be made by turning old world discoveries into new age revenue streams.
Once the expedition is underway, one fabulous find leads to another and soon all involved have to hide from corrupt army officials who want to relieve them of their discoveries. As the intrepid explorers hack their way through mountains of mud, vines, and guano, they eventually come to grips with the realization that their biggest obstacle may well be trying to figure out exactly what they’ve unearthed and how to keep it from killing them.
Gallant is a skilled writer adept at keeping the physical action moving while providing sufficient mental challenges which make his tale not only exciting but intellectually engaging as well. In this particular narrative, his loose ends get tied up with knots that may prove less than credible to some readers. However, if your literary tastes turn to invigorating action tales – ripping yarns where the storytelling is as much fun as the story itself – then you’ll probably want to go along for the wild ride with Gallant’s treasure hunters. But be warned. It is said those who enter…never leave God’s Domain.
