March 16, 2008

If you enjoy action-packed suspense stories with warm, witty characters and a nail-biting plot, then Chris Kuzneski’s new novel Sword of God is tailor-made for you.

A continuation of sorts to Sign of the Cross and Kuzneski’s debut novel The Plantation, this thriller reunites the delightful Jonathon Payne and D.J. Jones, a pair of former counterinsurgery team leaders who are considered ‘the best of the best’ in high-danger missions

Years earlier, they led a special team of agents called the MANIACs which was made up of hotshot soldiers in the Marines, Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard. One of the men under their charge at that time was Captain Trevor Schmidt, a mentee and friend of theirs. In this latest installment, the dynamic duo has moved on to another life. Payne is running the corporation his brilliant grandfather built and Jones is a private investigator. They have retired from the MANIACs and are enjoying a different kind of life.

However, Schmidt is missing and a rescue team is being formed to save him. Payne and Jones are called in to lead the mission and investigate what really happened. They believe they are delving into a terrorist plot coming out of the Middle East and their probe leads them to Makkah and places that are normally out of bound to non-Muslims. As Kuzneski writes, ‘Makkah was a strict city with strict rules. No exceptions. This wasn’t like Tijuana, Mexico, where a tourist could slip a couple of bucks to a guard and smuggle Pepe the Dancing Mule across the border of a bachelor party. This was far more serious. The type of place where bribe attempts were greeted with gunfire.’

Readers who have been to Makkah can relate to some of Kuzneski’s musings such as: ‘His biggest shock came when he spotted a Kentucky Fried Chicken not far from the Kaaba.’

Some of the key action takes place in hidden caves and tunnels in Makkah and when Schmidt is found violently murdered, the rescue mission turns into a far more serious homicide investigation. What concerns our heroes even more is that their bosses were not completely honest with them. Payne ponders, ‘One glance in that cave proved he was dead several days ago. Colonel Harrington must’ve known that long before he talked to us in Pittsburgh. So the question remains. Why were we brought in?’
 

‘Makkah was a strict city with strict rules. No exceptions. This wasn’t like Tijuana, Mexico, where a tourist could slip a couple of bucks to a guard and smuggle Pepe the Dancing Mule across the border of a bachelor party. This was far more serious. The type of place where bribe attempts were greeted with gunfire.’
 

That’s when Sword of God really becomes interesting. This is not a story about a simple terrorist plot, but there is a more dangerous issue at stake and there are blurry lines as to who really are the bad guys.

The plot is full of clues and in many ways Sword of God reads like a detective novel, but unlike books like The Da Vinci Code for example, you aren’t given an opportunity to solve the puzzles and crime yourself. Still, it is interesting to read how Payne and Jones put the pieces together.

Kuzneski’s writing is fast-paced, full of adventure and flavoured with his classic humour, all of which makes the novel a fun read. A typical Kuzneski line would be ‘Reports were written in black and white. [Payne and Jones] were more interested in colour.’ His deft use of adjectives and rich dialogue easily depicts three dimensional characters.

The prose is easy to read and draws the reader in quite quickly. Kuzneski’s complex plot is like an addictive labyrinth that he is guiding you through. Hours may pass without you noticing the time and the denouement which could have been over-the-top in another author’s hands, here makes you wonder: what if?

After all, there is such a thing as payback. Those who live by the sword may one day have to face the Sword of God.
 

Sword of God
By Chris Kuzneski
Jove. Available with
Paramount Books, Karachi
ISBN 0-515-14356-0
322pp. Rs345
Reviewed by T. U. Dawood