Against All Enemies [Mass Market Paperback]

Richard Herman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 1999

When fear becomes a weapon...When a few good men go bad...America will be consumed by the fire that burns within.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Mixing high- and low-tech espionage, Air Force missions and politics into a credible and exciting plot with attractive characters and breakneck action, Herman's latest (after Power Curve, 1997) is a sure winner. When a Sudanese terrorist group is discovered to be almost capable of dispersing the Ebola virus ("the poor man's atomic bomb"), two Americans are sent on a secret B-2 mission to destroy the underground Sudanese lab?then are captured, tortured and almost certainly doomed. At the same time, in Missouri, Bradley Jefferson, an outstanding, African American Muslim Air Force captain, is charged with having passed mission details to the enemy. Trial lawyer and Air Force Reservist Hank Sutherland is recalled to active duty to prosecute Jefferson and is almost immediately plunged into a complex swirl of suspicious characters and conflicting motives. Adding nightclub strippers, FBI agents, a ruthless demagogue with sights on the presidency and a mysterious presidential adviser with a big, smart computer at his disposal, Herman keeps all of his plots spinning and readers of military adventure on the edge of their seats.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Look for major advertising for this new thriller from Herman, a member of the USAF for 21 years and author of the successful Power Curve (LJ 4/15/97). Here, a court martial after the crash of a B-2 bomber gets complicated.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 498 pages
• Publisher: Avon (July 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380787873
• ISBN-13: 978-0380787876
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,298,234 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Thriller - Clancy Fans Will Love Herman, September 15, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: AGAINST ALL ENEMIES (Hardcover)

It's a novel with a fascinating cast of characters and a complex web of betrayal, violence, and corruption. At the heart of the novel, we find attorney Hank Sutherland prosecuting an Air Force court martial case against an African American captain. The appears to be a slam dunk, but Sutherland starts to dig deep into the case in his efforts to rule out counter-arguments from the defense. Ironically, in his pursuit to create a strong case for the prosectuion, Sutherland comes across evidence of a dangerous conspiracy. The drama that unfolds from there is chilling and pure pulse-pounding suspense.

And the backdrop to the legal drama includes heart-racing scenes from the Sudan, where two American fighter pilots are captured, and the Delta Force rescue operation headed by the fascinating and mega-rich Nelson Durant. Throughout the novel, we also become acquainted with power-hungry Jonathan Meredith, head of the fanatical First Brigade, and his volunteer army, and a character that readers won't soon forget.

The most common comparison one conjurs up is that between Herman and Clancy. It's a deserved comparison, and with Against All Enemies, Herman proves (not that he needed to, after the success of Power Curve) that he can hold his own in this genre. Indeed, he breathes new light and energy into it. Fans of the military and political thriller sub-genre are in for a treat.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Leaner & less pompous than Clancy., August 22, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: AGAINST ALL ENEMIES (Hardcover)

Since Clancy's the 500-lb. gorilla of this genre, everyone must work in his shadow. I suppose that several decades hence, if the genre survives, technothriller writers will invariably be compared to Tom in much the same way that today's private eye novelists must forever be held to the standards of Raymond Chandler and John MacDonald. Anyway, Herman delivers solid suspense and some furious action scenes in a volume that can't double as a bank vault doorstop. (hello, Tom?) The courtroom scenes are as good as anything Grisham has done. (Another annoying comparison) Sorry to be picky, but where are the proofreaders/editors at Avon. It can really break the spell (pun) to see the popular Japanese roadster called a "Miyata" (3 times) And O.K. the civilian defence attorney might naturally use the term "court martials" rather than the proper "courts-martial" (martial is an adjective referring to military/war matters), but to have the veteran military lawyer Maj. Blasedale say it incorrectly, come on! Lastly, a little too much reliance on extreme coincidence and a so-so ending.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing; sloppy editing, August 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: AGAINST ALL ENEMIES (Hardcover)

I thought that this book was of a much lower quality than his previous novels. The editing was sloppy (at least two different characters in two different settings used the expression "like stink on a skunk"). In one instance a character's name was replaced with different character's name, leading to some confusion. Plot and character development were superficial. This book was an obvious "quicky", both in writing & editing.