I do not think that there can ever be enough books about anything and I say that knowing that some of them are going to be about Pilates.The more knowledge the better seems like a solid rule of thumb, even though I have watched enough science fiction films to accept that humanity’s unchecked pursuit of learning will end with robots taking over the world.-Sarah Vowell

Friday, April 22, 2016

Deadlock by Iris Johansen



Emily Hudson is an artifacts expert for the UN.  Her and her fellow archeologist friend, Joel, have been asked to move museum pieces from a museum to a safer place until the area is safe from bandits intent on stealing them.  Oddly enough, there are no really valuable pieces in this collection, but they move them anyway.  Their military escort is delayed and they travel down the mountains alone.  They find two of their men in the other truck are gunned down on the side of the road.  When they get out to investigate, they get captured by a man named Staughton, who is searching for Zelov's hammer and what is inside it.

Staughton tortures Joel in front of Emily in order to get her to talk and tell him where the hammer is; unfortunately, Emily has never heard of it.  Eventually, Joel is killed and Emily is being sent to the leader of the local bandits as a present.

Garrett has worked for the CIA, MI6, and any organization that will pay him.  He was once a smuggler and has an inside man in Afghanistan.  He speaks nine languages and is a very mysterious man, indeed.  Ferguson of the CIA hires him to find Emily and Joel and bring them home, or Garrett's friend's illegal activity will cause him trouble.

Just as Emily is about to be raped, Garrett arrives and rescues her, blowing up as much of the camp as he could get to.  Emily vows revenge and Garrett promise her that he will help her get it.  They figure the easiest way to flush out Staughton and the people who are funding him, is to find the hammer.

Garrett sends Emily to an island retreat off of Greece where his friend, Irana, a former nun now a doctor, runs a hospital.  It is there that Emily spends time recuperating and healing from her ordeal.  Meanwhile, Garrett and his friend Dardon, look for Straughton and the elusive hammer.  The hammer turns out to something extraordinary, that any man would sell his soul for.

This book is fast paced, action packed, suspense with surprising twists and turns at every corner.  Straughton has become determined to kill anyone who knows about the hammer, or whom Emily or Garrett care about in order to get it.  It's a race against time to see who can kill each other first and find the hammer.  This thrill ride is a great Johansen work and a delight to read.

Quote
She won’t pray for herself…She told me once that prayers should be for those who can’t help themselves.  She’s not sure if she wasted them on herself that God would pay attention when she prayed for someone else.
---Iris Johansen (Deadlock p 311)

Link to Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Deadlock-Novel-Iris-Johansen-ebook/dp/B002GYI93I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1498396183&sr=8-1&keywords=Deadlock

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