The Fallen--reviews

March 15, 2010

The reviews keep coming in for The Fallen and they're all raves, pretty much. Here's one I rather like by freelancer Vicki Landes:

Veteran author Mark Terry releases his newest novel next month. A super-fast and wildly entertaining read, “The Fallen” combines the currently-popular homegrown terrorism subject with a “Die Hard”-esque plot and vivid characters you won’t soon forget. Topped with a brilliant beginning, Terry starts things off with an unforeseeable shock and doesn’t let up from there.

Department of Homeland Security troubleshooter Derek Stillwater has spent a quiet several months undercover at a Colorado resort the G8 Summit is set to utilize for upcoming meetings. The tranquil mountain setting shatters into chaos however, when the international leaders arrive and a once-thoughy-dead enemy resurrects to bring his own agenda to the forefront. Cut off from the politicians and any communication with Washington DC, Derek must try to save lives – and the world for that matter – with only a tool belt, his smarts, and his beautiful resort coworker, Maria. “The Fallen” is John McClain meets Jack Ryan… with a little Macgyver in the mix!

“The Fallen” is an international, political thriller with easily likable characters whose emotions jump off the page at the reader. Derek Stillwater is the strong, silent type, resourceful, with good instincts, and stays one step ahead of the bad guys. You can almost feel his drive to stop his old friend and his sense of responsibility pushing him on instead of giving up. I would have liked to see more background on the two main characters, such as their friendship, the process of the falling out, and The Fallen’s path to the ‘other side’. I wasn’t happy with who Derek ended up with! While trying to avoid spoiling the ending, what happened to the promise he made to Maria about the boat?? She seemed to get written off at the end yet she was a major supporting character throughout the story. Perhaps these are purposely open points to allow prequel or sequel novels to develop? Whatever the case, the plot is gripping and stays with you long after the last page.

“The Fallen” earns high notches! Thriller fans will love its consistently high level of suspense, international/political fans will enjoy its pull from various currently popular subjects, and action fans won’t find a single disappointing page in the entire book. If you liked the “Die Hard” movies, you won’t want to miss “The Fallen.”