Sunday, April 6, 2014

Deadly Additive by Donn Taylor

Jeb Sledge had been entertaining thoughts of retiring from his dangerous work. But when he was asked to rescue two young American woman kidnapped in Columbia and face his old nemesis Diego Contreras, he takes the job. Extracting the women goes smoothly and Sledge manages the rescue, even when their extraction helicopter is shot down.

That is not the end of the adventure, however, as one of the women, a journalist, has photographic evidence of mass murder by chemical weapons. Sledge's military status is activated and he is sent back to Columbia with a team to find the chemical weapons factory. There is a master mind behind a complex operation but Sledge has no idea how he can be identified and neutralized.

I really like this novel. The writing is taught - there is not an extra word. Taylor is really a word smith. The action is intense, and it keeps coming as Sledge does one job after another for Brinkman. There is some romance too as Sledge and one of the women he rescued feel a spark between them. There is actually a little humor included as well.

If you like jungle adventure, international intrigue, and the possibility of romance, you'll like this book. Sledge is not on good terms with God after Contreras murdered his girlfriend, but God is working on him.

Something else I liked about the book is that Taylor included at the front of the book the factual background to the story. I appreciate that.

Donn Taylor served in the infantry in the Korean War, served with Army aviation in Vietnam, and worked with air reconnaissance in Europe and Asia. He then completed his PhD and taught English at two colleges. Now retired, he writes fiction and poetry. He and his wife have been happily married for 60 years and live near Houston, Texas.

Harbourlight Books, 326 pages.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this book from the publisher for the purpose of an independent and honest review.

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