Khaleel Datay's Blog - Posts Tagged "al-qaeda"

The Panther by Nelson DeMille

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Nelson DeMille once again has former New York detective John Corey tracking an international terrorist. This time its Bulus ibn al Darwish, an American born Yemeni whose aim in life is to kill as many Americans as he can before taking over as ruler of a free Yemen. Given an ultimatum to either go to Yemen or get kicked out from the FBI Anti Terrorist Task Force, Corey opts to go hunting the Panther, as al Darwish styles himself. The book sort of follows on from THE LION where Corey killed another Arab terrorist called Asad Khalil. The Lion ends where Corey's wife killed Ted Nash, a CIA operative who seemingly went rogue.
Based at the American embassy in Sana'a, Corey and his wife is part of a team consisting of the FBI, the CIA, State Intelligence and Military Intelligence. There is no love lost between the FBI and the CIA and Corey immediately takes a dislike to the CIA operative appointed to run the operation. Afraid that the CIA were using him and his wife as bait to catch the Panther, Corey was even more concerned that the CIA wanted payback for Nash's death by conveniently arranging for his death 'in action' in faraway Yemen. Corey hates the place, having been posted there previously to investigate the bombing of the USS Cole where 17 Americans were killed by an explosives laden boat.DeMille gives us a fascinating insight into modern day Yemen ruled by a despotic ruler (in the Sadam Hussein vein)still seemingly stuck in 1013 as opposed to 2013. The country is typical of whatever can go wrong, will go wrong when there is no democratic government. Warlords control the south, the government controls the north and Al Qaeda controls everything in between. Armed with not much more than some handguns and a sniper rifle, the team at least has the comfort of knowing that they can take out their target with a Predator drone strike. The only problem was the Predator drones were controlled by the CIA, who Corey knew also wanted him dead. DeMille has a winner with the John Corey character and if you love your thrillers with a bad boy hero, this is the book for you.



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Thoroughly enjoyed this book featuring Alex Berenson's John Wells character. Wells, former CIA and US Ranger, is approached by the ailing Saudi King to help him secure a succession battle with his brother Prince Saeed. King Abdullah wishes to cede power to his son while his brother feels its his birthright to be king. The book starts with a terrorist attack in Bahrain on a nightclub frequented by Westerners. We are introduced to Jihadis who feel aggrieved with the Saudi monarchy repressive rule. Wells is offered millions to take the assignment and at first refuses the desperate monarch. After some cajoling by the king's brother, Prince Miteb, Wells agrees and starts following up a lead from the king that leads him to a Jihadi camp in Lebanon. All the while Wells stays in contact with his former boss at CIA headquarters who provides technical assistance like tracing cell phone numbers and using the US satellites to pinpoint the Jihadi camp. What starts out as a personal favour to the king soon escalates into a much bigger problem when the king's favourite grand-daughter is assassinated by a suicide bomber. The world gave scant attention, but when the US ambassador to the kingdom is brutally kidnapped the world is on a knife's edge. Oil prices soar, markets plummet and the US prepares for full blown war with its old ally in the Middle East. As a former journalist, Berenson has researched the situation in the Middle East meticulously and provides incisive descriptions of life in modern day Saudi Arabia. When Wells connects the Lebanese camp to former Saudi soldiers the plot really stirs as the reality dawns that the terrorist attacks could have been ordered from within the kingdom, possibly even by someone within government. Wells, a self professed Muslim, pulls out all the stops to stop a war in the centre of the Islamic world that could result in its ultimate destruction. A desperate search for the ambassador sets up a thrilling end that could come straight off the pages of tomorrow's news.