Matthew Reilly, Scarecrow

After having read the first two of Matthew Reilly's books, I found Scarecrow not up to par with them as an overall book. But nonetheless I liked it. A number of differences and plot twists make it odd, yet good. The speed seems too unrealistic and I would have wished for the book to dwell a little longer in a number of locations like the krask 8 station instead of scarecrow zipping out like a bat out of hell. The one thing Reilly can do is make 24 hours seem endless, he did it in area 7 and ice station and now in scarecrow. Just stretching out the longest day in history. If you are looking for the highest octaned OD'ed on steroids action book, read this. There is not another this fast or this packed out there...

Scarecrow

Matthew Reilly

Dunne, Mar 2004, $24.95, 368 pp.

ISBN: 0312289588

The intelligence report claimed that Islamic terrorists took control of the Krask 8: Penal and Maintenance Installation Siberian submarine repair base and with the seizure possess nuclear missiles. US Marine Shane "Scarecrow" Schofield and an elite Delta Force race to stop the terrorists before they can use or sell their cache of mass destruction.

However, instead of Islamic enemies, Schofield and company are caught in a deadly trap set by teams of bounty hunters competing in a contest to kill Delta Force soldiers at over $18 million-per scalp. The Majestic 12, consisting of a dozen male multibillionaires who inherit the seat via primogeniture, has drawn up a hit list that includes Scarecrow at number 12 among fifteen targets for elimination. This group has been in the way of good business decisions to buy and sell presidents and other heads of states. In deep trouble as he escapes the nuclear reactor for the nuclear waste, Scarecrow and company battle a seemingly endless supply of mercenaries, who want to collect the bounty.

Is the novel unreal? Yes! Is the conspiracy unbelievable? Absolutely! Are the characters two-dimensional? No doubt! With all that, readers will conclude who cares. Fans of non-stop, action packed thrillers will want to read this delightful tale even if the body count seems endless. This terrific novel never allows the audience a chance to catch its breath as it rockets from one scenario to an even more dangerous situation sort of like the opening scene in an Indiana Jones movie, but continuing for two hours without respite.

Harriet Klausner