Blown Away [Paperback]

David Wiltse (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1997

FBI Agent John Becker must take down a phantom bomber known only as Spring, who has unleashed terror on some of New York City's most famous landmarks. By the author of Prayer for the Dead. Reprint. AB. NYT. LJ. AB. PW. "

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The plot and chief characters of Wiltse's latest thriller are good: a slicker, more daring Unabomber named Jason Cole is blowing up bridges and tunnels in and out of Manhattan, and ace FBI agent John Becker has to stop him. But it's the smaller players that raise the level of Blown Away to greatness -- a gallery of colorful, often hilarious hoods, losers and lunatics who come to life quickly and linger on in the imagination long after the last bomb has gone off. (Other Becker books by Wilste include Bone Deep, The Edge of Sleep, Into the Fire, Prayer for the Dead.) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

More daring and destructive than the real-life Unabomber, another unstable ex-professor brings New York City to its knees in this sixth and riveting John Becker thriller from Wiltse (Bone Deep). Cunning Jason Cole is holding the city hostage, blowing up routes in and out of Manhattan and demanding millions. Legendary FBI agent Becker heads the team that must stop him. But Cole has a knack for enlisting unlikely helpers that are hard to trace, from drug-addled Bronx hood Defone Lee to gay hitman Donny the Snake Sabela. To make matters worse, he cares less about the money than about teaching a lesson to the powers that be. Before the case is solved, it's not only the cops and FBI who are involved; so are street gangs, garbagemen, wiseguys, even the IRA and Cole's high-school chemistry teacher. Wiltse illuminates a broad spectrum of heroism and villainy with a colorful, often humorous cast of characters that makes agent Becker seem drab by comparison. These engaging folk will hold readers in thrall through a fast-paced, cleverly plotted tale that features plenty of action, on the street and off, and that will leave readers just as the title says.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Berkley (September 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 042515971X
• ISBN-13: 978-0425159712
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,305,974 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:

5.0 out of 5 stars New Discovery, January 4, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Blown Away (G K Hall Large Print Book Series) (Hardcover)

I've just discovered John Becker and David Wiltse (where have I been?)and what a fortuitous discovery it is! If John Becker is not the most fascinating, complicated, sexy, clever, dangerous--and most interestingly of all--oddly virtuous character in this whole genre, I don't know of any other contenders that even come close. His villains may be be even better. Evil enough even for Dubya's list, but tantalizingly human as well. Most exciting of all for me as a reader is the author's command of the language. The words, the words! This is a genuine writer, not just a potboiler. If Blown Away is any example, I'm going to have a wonderful time with the rest of Mr. Wiltse's work.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars THE BOOK WAS OK.NOT THE BEST.NEED ANOTHER BECKER SOON., October 22, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Blown Away (Hardcover)

DOES ANYONE KNOW WHERE DAVID WILTSE IS? ITS GOT TO BE TIME FOR ANOTHER BECKER. I'VE ENJOYED ALL HIS BOOKS. AM DYING FOR ANOTHER ONE.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Dismal Plot and Characters Make This Wiltse's Nadir, June 15, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Blown Away (Audio Cassette)

David Wiltse's A PRAYER FOR THE DEAD and INTO THE FIRE are full-throttle, imaginative, spellbindingly terrifying novels that really get the job done. And John Becker has emerged from them as one of the most interesting series characters in fiction today. Unfortunately, after the remarkably poor BONE DEEP, Wiltse has plummeted even further to banality with BLOWN AWAY, a true stinker of a novel. The villian of the piece, Swan, is a laughable creation, and his association with a repressed homosexual gangster is uninteresting and poorly shaped and detailed. There's no suspense, no plot worth engaging in, and Becker is left with practically nothing to do. The result is a complete disaster from a usual first-rate writer.