Days of Drums [Hardcover]

Philip Shelby (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 17, 1996

Landing the most promising assignment of her career, Secret Service agent Holland Tylo is charged with protecting Senator Charles Westbourne, whose untimely death locks Holland in the vise of a conspiracy. 200,000 first printing.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this fast and furious?but overly calculated?thriller, a female Secret Service agent is set up to take the fall for the assassination of a powerful senator. As a child, little Holland Tylo endured a "spray of blood" from the body of her father, also a U.S. senator, when he was pierced by an assassin's bullets. This traumatic event, in Shelby's hands, is supposed to explain not only why Tylo grew up to become a Secret Service agent but also why she is so driven to find the killer of Senator Charles Westbourne, who is slain after insisting that Tylo, who's guarding him, let him have a little privacy. Primed to take the fall for Westbourne's death, Tylo turns out to be the unwitting owner of a computer disk that contains the dead man's smoking-gun evidence against powerful members of the government?and the killer knows this, because Tylo is trusting the wrong people. But instead of turning into a cat-and-mouse game or a gritty procedural, the novel quickly comes to resemble only a fleshed-out screenplay, where the seen-it-before plot has Tylo framed for murder, branded as a rogue agent and sent into hiding?from where, with the help of a few loyal friends, she attempts to clear her name, reveal the conspiracy and bring the killer and the guilty to justice. This is thriller-writing by the numbers?a lot of drive and a lot of energy, but very little heart or feeling for devastating events, like the death of a lover; there are too many unflattering echoes of the movie In the Line of Fire, as well. If Shelby (Oasis of Dreams, 1992) set out to write a novel destined to become a soulless but action-filled movie blockbuster, he's succeeded. 250,000 first printing; film rights to Tri-Star; Simon & Schuster Audio.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Rookie Secret Service agent Holland Tylo, daughter of the late Senator Beaumont, has a plum assignment in guarding Senator Westbourne during a meeting of Washington moguls at his estate. As she escorts the senator to his guest house for a late night tryst, he's suddenly shot dead, and her career with him. As the investigation progresses, more bodies fall while a professional assassin stalks Washington. Holland becomes both hunter and hunted as she fights to vindicate herself and sort out the good guys from the bad. Why is she a target? Is the president next? The Secret Service is caught in a crossfire of murder and political blackmail that threatens to destroy the administration and discredit the country's intelligence network. Author Shelby (Oasis of Dreams, Bantam, 1993) has a real winner with this fast-paced, highly engrossing thriller. Movie rights have already been sold. For most popular collections.
-?Susan Clifford, Hughes Aircraft Co. Lib., Los Angeles
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster (January 17, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684801779
• ISBN-13: 978-0684801773
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.4 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,323,390 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fast moving plot with twists and turns that keep you rivited, August 5, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Dallas, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: DAYS OF DRUMS (Mass Market Paperback)

Excellent story line with intrique and interesting characters. Holland Tylo,the woman in the book is intellegent and strong. Some of the violence is graphic but you can read quickly through those sections and find yourself caught up in the twists and turns that are probably a realistic look at the Secret Service.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good read, January 19, 2002

By 

David A. Spearman (Harbor Beach, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: DAYS OF DRUMS (Mass Market Paperback)

First of Phillip Shelby's books I have read. Will read more. He is very good with his twists and turns and a lot of mystery. I also enjoyed the end were he explained everything out and you could see where you had guessed incorrectly. I will read more of his writings.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A superb page turner, October 20, 2000

By 

Mr. A. Chapman - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: DAYS OF DRUMS (Mass Market Paperback)

I first read 'Last rights', in which I thought was a great book. I then picked this one up. Well this one is even better than 'Last Rights'. The intrigue of each character made the book more and more intresting, made you want to know what was going to happen next. Holland Tylo wanted to know what really happened at Westbournes estate, she has to set the record straight because she does not want to be the scate goat. I will not give away to much, all I will say that is you will enjoy this book for its shear brillance. It is action packed, fast moving and gritty. What else do you need in a good book.