Title: Satan’s Stronghold
Author: Robert Gallant
Publisher: iUniverse
ISBN: 9780595404674
Pages: 210, Paperback
Genre: Fiction / Suspense
Reviewed by: Anita Lock
Buy on AmazonPacific Book Review
Chesney Barrett is the innocent victim of a high-speed drug-bust chase that killed her mother and left Chesney recuperating for most of a year. The traumatic incident crushed Chesney’s dreams to be a part of the swim competitions in the U.S. Summer Olympics. Also unfortunate, the drug dealer who broadsided her mom’s car disappeared after he was allowed to post bail. An ecology graduate student, Chesney receives an EPA grant to conduct “environmental studies in the Atchafalaya Basin, South Louisiana,” the exact location where the infamous drug dealer is running a meth and ecstasy facility.
Travis Weld poses as a special agent with the Drug Enforcement Agency. The leader of a covert governmental team, Travis is desperate to nail down the infamous drug dealer especially after the murder of yet another agent. Certain that he’s found the perfect undercover agent, Travis tracks down Chesney Barrett, who not only has the ideal alibi for being in the basin, but also embodies many of the same character traits as Jacques Dupree’s beloved deceased wife.
Jacques Dupree, who owns the swamp on which the drug factory is situated, is Chesney’s target in helping her locate the factory and determining how they distribute the finished drug. Travis has only a small window to train Chesney before the next drug distribution. And though Travis claims that he’ll cover her back, Chesney is not certain if she can trust him. The real concerns are whether or not Chesney is able to pull off this extremely dangerous mission and come out of the basin alive.
Satan’s Stronghold is the first book in a four-part suspense/thriller series. Gallant’s compelling narrative is replete with a variety of literary elements that keep his plot action-packed from beginning to end. At the top of the list of elements is the trait of elusiveness Gallant carefully weaved into his distinctive cast, particularly with his principal characters, Chesney and Travis. This oblique quality leaves readers questioning the efficacy of the story’s protagonists.
Another element that Gallant uses is comedic sarcasm. This literary tool is predominantly used in the dialogue scenes between Chesney and Travis. Gallant’s clever and snarky style of conversational writing is nothing less than entertaining as he slowly builds up Chesney and Travis’s love/hate relationship while throwing in hints to their sexual attraction along the way. By far, the best use of this element is not so much in the character development as it is in breaking up the plot’s incessant tension. Indeed, Chesney and Travis’s interactions are an intriguing feature of the narrative.
Lastly, it is difficult to ascertain plot outcomes since Gallant incorporates a flurry of abrupt, unexpected, and nail-biting scene changes. Adding to this conundrum is the continual chain of chapter cliffhangers. Satan’s Stronghold closure is a perfect segue to Gallant’s sequel, Jericho’s Trumpet. Kudos goes to Gallant for creating an absolutely fascinating read.
