The Deadly Trilogy by R. E. McDermott

This is a bargain at list price but the collection is a great deal.  All three of the "Deadly" books for one low price at Amazon. 

Deadly Straits by R. E. McDermott

When Bob emailed me and flattered me into reading his book I thought I was doing both he and Jeff Edwards author of Dome City Blues; Sea of Shadows and The Seventh Angel, a favor.  Little did I realize I was doing myself a favor by reading this compelling book.  Many authors grow in statue as they polish their skills and hone their talent, Bob McDermott has hit a home run with this book and it is his first!  A marine consultant finds himself immersed in international intrigue involving terrorists, oil trade and international complications.

Tom Dugan is the main protagonist and one wonders if he might be R. E. McDermott’s alter ego.  Dugan is not a young stud hero, he is an older more thoughtful protagonist.   Dugan demonstrates very believable behavior with his emotions and behavior.  He is not a professional spy or action figure, he is a normal human being thrust into intolerable circumstances.  McDermott does a super job with his characterizations.

Now the plot, as you may well know I work diligently to avoid spoilers, so I will be circumspect.  Needless to say intricate hardly suffices, Byzantine seems far more appropriate.  Just when you feel like you have a good handle on what will happen next you find yourself pin wheeling on a curve ball.   The most Machiavellian of you will find suitable plot complexity in this book.

Action doesn’t really describe the depth of excitement infused to the bones of this book.  It oozes excitement while forcing the reader to contemplate the plausibility and consequences of the story line.

In short, I really enjoyed this book.   Thank you Jeff Edwards for pointing Bob in my direction and thank you Bob for this excellent read!

I highly recommend it!

Deadly Coast by R. E. McDermott

Tom Dugan, a partner now with Alex, his former employer in Deadly Straits, is a marine consultant who finds himself immersed in terrorists, pirates and a haunting legacy from World War II.

I was pleased to see Tom Dugan back.   He is an older and more thoughtful protagonist who does not rush in with blazing guns to save the day.   He does have a Machiavellian streak that serves him well when he is dealing with international miscreants.  There are a few carry over characters from Deadly Straits but this book can certainly be read as a stand alone novel.  The characters are eminently likeable or vilely despicable.  Once again, McDermott has done a super job with his characterizations.

The plot could be lifted from the daily news.   It has roots in reality and that may be one of the things that makes it so captivating.   There is plenty of action and emotions are more realistic and perhaps less noble than the run of the mill stylized protagonist.  Frankly Bob purposes some solutions to some international problems that seem extremely sensible.   This is another must read from a terrific new author.

I highly recommend it.

Deadly Crossing by R. E. McDermott

 

I am lucky enough to be an advanced reader for Bob.  This simply means I got the book before it was published and devoured it with rapidity.   Bob asked me to hold off on my review until the book was actually published which made sense.   So, in conclusion, this is a darn fine book and if you enjoy action and adventure, you should really buy it.  (Again, no compensation what so ever was received for this review and there isn’t a whole lot of resale value in a .mobi file. Oh, and we aren’t related by blood or marriage, don’t play golf or bridge together and never have met face to face.)

Tom Dugan is a marine consultant who finds himself immersed this time in the Russian mafia and the sex trade.

I was pleased to see Tom Dugan again, he is an older and more thoughtful protagonist who does not rush in with blazing guns to save the day.   He does have a Machiavellian streak that serves him well when he is dealing with international miscreants.  There are a few carry over characters from Deadly Straits but this book can certainly be read as a stand alone novel.  The characters are eminently likeable or vilely despicable.  Once again, McDermott has done a super job with his characterizations.

Anna, his main squeeze and deadly in her own right, is once again on the front lines with Tom.  Major Andrei Borgdanov and Sgt. Ilya Denosovitch, formerly Russian Spetsnaz, come to Tom for aid in tracking down Ilya's missing niece.   Anna's MI5 and Tom's CIA contacts are crucial in finding the missing girl.  

The despicable human trafficking trade is the major theme of the book.  How Tom jumps in with both feet provides the action and plot line.  Once again, the plot could be lifted from the daily news.   It has roots in reality and that may be one of the things that makes it so captivating.   There is plenty of action and emotions are more realistic and perhaps less noble than the run of the mill stylized protagonist. 

I find myself being some what redundant in my review as, once again, I am thrilled with McDermott's work.

I highly recommend it.

 This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.