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By Dawn's Early Light
Financial analyst Sloane Ryder unwittingly gets embroiled in a political agenda involving America's increasingly sensitive relationship with China, as she uncovers a scheme to kill the first woman president of the United States.
416 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 26, 2022
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September 21, 2014
RATING: 2.75
What would you do if you faced an ethical dilemma on your job, knowing that if you do nothing, many people will be hurt and if you do something, you will likely lose your job? It’s a choice that Sloane Ryder doesn’t even think about. She’s a financial analyst at a large investment bank who accidentally uncovers insider training involving one of the heads of the firm and a Chinese oil company. When she exposes him to the SEC, she faces a brutal investigation, a measure of guilt for the cheater’s resolution and a ruined reputation within the financial community in New York. In addition, her personal relationship with an FBI agent by the name of Peter Mack disintegrates. What she doesn’t expect is to be approached by the General Accounting Office of the Federal government and offered a job ferreting out anomalies in the financial activities of civil servants who may be involved in espionage. She’s uniquely qualified for the position since she graduated from a school named Ravenhurst where her advanced business studies included a course in competitive business intelligence.
During the time that Sloane is facing her travails, an assassin known only as “Handyman” is hatching a nefarious plot across the world in Hong Kong. He’s chosen a young boy from an orphanage who is suffering a terminal case of AIDS and has been abused throughout his life. The Handyman has a male and female operative who bring the child (referred to as “1818”) to something approaching health before they assume another couple’s identity and spirit 1818 into the United States for a “Hands of Hope” meeting in Washington. We learn that the child will meet with the president of the US, Claudia Ballentine, and she will die shortly thereafter. We also know that 1818 will somehow be an instrument of her death and experience much pain himself.
The two narrative threads are tied together by events occurring in China. There are forces fighting for and against the reunification of the Chinese mainland, and U. S. government officials of the highest level are involved in various conspiracies to force their plans forward. Betrayal is the password and power is the prize. The plot moves briskly forward to a horrifying day in Washington, DC, where the scheme unfolds.
Shelby has a very pedestrian prose style, and a detailed sex scene had my eyes rolling. The book tends toward the incredible, beginning with such small details as the characters’ names (“Whip”? “Dodge”?) up through the invincible protagonist who keeps on ticking while taking a licking over and over again. The villain, Handyman, is painted as one of the top 4 assassins in the world; yet he has tremendous difficulty in killing his various targets.
Where Shelby shines is in building suspense around a complex conspiracy. It isn’t until late in the book that we find out what is in store for 1818, and it is indeed horrifying, yet very original. The character of Handyman is extremely clever, and the resolution goes in directions that the reader might not expect. The depiction of the political environment rings very true, and one could believe that the people in this book could inhabit our political inner circles.
If you like espionage thrillers, then you should enjoy this book. Shelby fans should note that several characters from previous books appear in these pages—Hollis Fremont, Holland Tylo and the Handyman among them.
What would you do if you faced an ethical dilemma on your job, knowing that if you do nothing, many people will be hurt and if you do something, you will likely lose your job? It’s a choice that Sloane Ryder doesn’t even think about. She’s a financial analyst at a large investment bank who accidentally uncovers insider training involving one of the heads of the firm and a Chinese oil company. When she exposes him to the SEC, she faces a brutal investigation, a measure of guilt for the cheater’s resolution and a ruined reputation within the financial community in New York. In addition, her personal relationship with an FBI agent by the name of Peter Mack disintegrates. What she doesn’t expect is to be approached by the General Accounting Office of the Federal government and offered a job ferreting out anomalies in the financial activities of civil servants who may be involved in espionage. She’s uniquely qualified for the position since she graduated from a school named Ravenhurst where her advanced business studies included a course in competitive business intelligence.
During the time that Sloane is facing her travails, an assassin known only as “Handyman” is hatching a nefarious plot across the world in Hong Kong. He’s chosen a young boy from an orphanage who is suffering a terminal case of AIDS and has been abused throughout his life. The Handyman has a male and female operative who bring the child (referred to as “1818”) to something approaching health before they assume another couple’s identity and spirit 1818 into the United States for a “Hands of Hope” meeting in Washington. We learn that the child will meet with the president of the US, Claudia Ballentine, and she will die shortly thereafter. We also know that 1818 will somehow be an instrument of her death and experience much pain himself.
The two narrative threads are tied together by events occurring in China. There are forces fighting for and against the reunification of the Chinese mainland, and U. S. government officials of the highest level are involved in various conspiracies to force their plans forward. Betrayal is the password and power is the prize. The plot moves briskly forward to a horrifying day in Washington, DC, where the scheme unfolds.
Shelby has a very pedestrian prose style, and a detailed sex scene had my eyes rolling. The book tends toward the incredible, beginning with such small details as the characters’ names (“Whip”? “Dodge”?) up through the invincible protagonist who keeps on ticking while taking a licking over and over again. The villain, Handyman, is painted as one of the top 4 assassins in the world; yet he has tremendous difficulty in killing his various targets.
Where Shelby shines is in building suspense around a complex conspiracy. It isn’t until late in the book that we find out what is in store for 1818, and it is indeed horrifying, yet very original. The character of Handyman is extremely clever, and the resolution goes in directions that the reader might not expect. The depiction of the political environment rings very true, and one could believe that the people in this book could inhabit our political inner circles.
If you like espionage thrillers, then you should enjoy this book. Shelby fans should note that several characters from previous books appear in these pages—Hollis Fremont, Holland Tylo and the Handyman among them.
June 3, 2009
Philip Shelby writes a good spy novel. Dawn's Early Light written in 2002 was his last solo novel I've been able to find. He co-wrote several with Ludlum, but nothing lately by himself.
Sloane Ryder works for the GAO police. Who knew we had a secret GAO squad? Wish we did have one that was as clever as Shelby wrote in his novel. Shelby follows the money like Ludlum always does in his novels, corruption at the highest levels of govt. It's well paced, characters could have used more fleshing out, plotting is tight and suspenseful. Good beach read. One has to suspend the disbelief that Sloane could get fired from Wall Street and easily move into a covert police squad. As well as all the capitol police agencies playing together and sharing information, but if you can get past those two roadblocks its full speed ahead.
Sloane Ryder works for the GAO police. Who knew we had a secret GAO squad? Wish we did have one that was as clever as Shelby wrote in his novel. Shelby follows the money like Ludlum always does in his novels, corruption at the highest levels of govt. It's well paced, characters could have used more fleshing out, plotting is tight and suspenseful. Good beach read. One has to suspend the disbelief that Sloane could get fired from Wall Street and easily move into a covert police squad. As well as all the capitol police agencies playing together and sharing information, but if you can get past those two roadblocks its full speed ahead.
June 20, 2010
This is a good book by Phiip Shelby. I enjoyed reading it. It captured my attention and drug me through it so I could find out what happend.
J. Robert Ewbank author "John Wesley, Natural Man, and the 'Isms'"
J. Robert Ewbank author "John Wesley, Natural Man, and the 'Isms'"
July 1, 2014
A strong female protagonist makes this an interesting and entertaining read. A few plot turns but mostly predictable. Fun to read nevertheless. Nice change of pace from the military action-based books I usually read. Well worth the time to read.
July 31, 2015
"By Dawn's Early Light" - written by Philip Shelby and published in 2002 by Simon and Schuster. An exciting assassination thriller.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews