Swatting Flies
Bruce Von Stiers
I was first intrigued by the writing of P.T. Deutermann with his novel, Sweepers. Since then I have read all of his works. Now P.T. has come up with a new twist on Homeland Security. The title of this new novel is Firefly. It was published by St. Martin 's Press.
Swamp Morgan is a retired Secret Service agent. He has been called back into service due to Homeland Security being implemented after the events of 9-11. The office that he works out of is given an assignment. There was a fire at a cosmetic surgery outpatient clinic. A few people died there. It seems that some of the patients were taped during their procedures. One of the audio tapes revealed something that could possibly be interpreted as a terrorist threat.
It is up to Swamp and his assistant, Gary White, to chase down this possible threat. But it may be nothing at all. This situation is what is known as a “firefly.” It could be just like a firefly, burning brightly and then just fizzle out the next instant.
Connie Wall is an OR nurse. She wasn't at the clinic when it burned down so Connie is considered the lone survivor. But does she know something that could get her killed?
The book goes back and forth between different plot elements. We get to see what is going on with Connie Wall. We also see how Swamp's investigation is going. And we learn a lot about his personal life. There is actually a bad guy out there and Deutermann gives us a real interesting look at who and what he is.
As things progress, Swamp becomes convinced that the firefly is a very real threat. But the Secret Service and all the other governmental security agencies are gearing up for the upcoming Presidential Inaugural. They just can't seem to take Swamp, or the threat, too seriously.
The novel doesn't have too many plot twists. It is a pretty straight forward suspense novel. That is, until the very end. The ending itself has a twist that I didn't see. And I was definitely looking for some kind of plot twist.
P.T. Deutermann is a master storyteller. With a number of best selling suspense novel under his belt, Deutermann could have kicked back and not written anything else. But instead, Deutermann provided the reading public with a great suspense thriller.
Check out Deutermann's web site for more insight on the writer and his books. The web site can be found at www.ptdeutermann.com .
© 2004 Bruce E Von Stiers