Storm Front

Author:  Richard Castle

Genre:  Thriller

Pages:  Hardback

Publisher:  Hyperion

Reviewer:  Virginia Armstrong

Rating:  5

CIA fixer Derrick Storm is on a manhunt.  Someone has targeted the world’s most powerful bankers, leaving a trail of tortured corpses in his wake.  The M.O. points to only one man, Storm’s sworn adversary, Gregor Volkov, a psychotic mercenary who will stop at nothing.

Storm must not only locate Volkov, but must uncover the man who has hired him before a global financial catastrophe occurs the likes of which have never been seen before.  With the help of a beautiful Chinese operative and a geeky computer expert, Storm races the clock to find the last person on Volkov’s hit list before it’s too late.

With the CIA concealing pertinent information and politicians on the take, Storm has his work cut out for him that takes him across the globe and into a high speed car chase.  Worse, Volkov has decided to go renegade on his employer with plans of his own.

Storm Front grabs the reader from the first page, pulling you along into the mystery.  Derrick Storm’s character is likable and easily visualized, especially when interacting with Xi Bang, the Chinese operative.  Unfortunately, halfway through the book, the story loses its allure, the mystery becoming dull and drawn out.  The car chase was a bit long and overdone, perhaps better received in a movie.  With that said, the style of writing was done very well, the characters portrayed in excellent fashion.