The Death Trust [Mass Market Paperback]

David Rollins (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 27, 2009

As shocking as today's headlines… In this no-holds-barred thriller, David Rollins plunges readers deep into the heart of a terrifying conspiracy of absolute power at its absolute worst. Who can you trust when those you’re taught to trust are perpetrating the ultimate act of betrayal?

As evil as your worst fears...

For Special Investigator Major Vin Cooper, it begins with a sniper’s bullet that claims the life of a young G.I. on a routine patrol in Iraq. It’s an all-too-familiar tragedy, not a crime, until it’s linked to the bizarre death of a four-star general…who just happens to be the dead soldier’s father and the son-in-law of a powerful U.S. vice president. Cooper’s investigation will uncover a trail of “accidental” deaths that leads from the war-torn streets of Baghdad to sex slavery in Latvia to a celebrated political marriage that began in the White House Rose Garden. But as he pieces together the most shocking conspiracy in history, Cooper begins to wonder if his superiors really want him to uncover the truth…or become the next victim of the most murderous lie of all.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Australian Rollins (Rogue Element) introduces a tough, wisecracking hero in his U.S. debut. When Gen. Abraham Scott—CO of Ramstein Air Base in Germany and son-in-law of the U.S. vice president—dies in a suspicious glider incident, Maj. Vincent Cooper, an agent of the U.S.A.F. Office of Special Investigations, gets the call. Recently divorced and drinking to excess, Vin knows his job is on the line as he travels to Germany to work with Special Agent Anna Masters. The two of them put together a case that grows to encompass an ever-widening ring of murders and takes them, in a particularly harrowing scene, to Baghdad. A shadowy international organization known as the Establishment appears to be behind the mayhem, and in the process of figuring out the group's motives, the intrepid Vin gets beaten up, blown up, set on fire and shot a couple of times. Readers will look forward to more of Vin's exploits in his next outing, A Knife Edge. (Oct.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Rollins' first novel, published to deserved acclaim in Australia in 2005, begins with a one-two punch. In Iraq, a U.S. Army sergeant is gunned down by a sniper; not long after, in Germany, the sergeant's father is piloting a glider when the aircraft suddenly falls to pieces in midair. Was this a coincidence, or has someone targeted father and son? In charge of the case is Special Agent Vin Cooper, of the Office of Special Investigations—recently divorced and looking for something to distract him from the ruins of his personal life. The novel's story will be familiar to many readers (it involves a conspiracy at the White House), but Cooper is such an appealing narrator that seeing the story through his eyes is like seeing it afresh. Many thriller writers dive right into the action, but Rollins sneaks up on the story, takes it nice and slow, as though he is writing a police procedural rather than a thriller. Definitely a few cuts above most political-conspiracy yarns. Pitt, David --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Bantam; Reprint edition (January 27, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553590006
• ISBN-13: 978-0553590005
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 0.9 x 6.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #772,735 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

David Rollins was born in Sydney, Australia. He has written a few books, not all of which are available on Amazon.com in the printed form. He likes to travel. (In fact he believes that's the most fun you can have with your duds on.) He also likes to read and ride high-powered anything, though not at the same time, obviously. His books feature a mixture of dark cynicism and wit, mixed with gland-pumping action. Sometimes you don't know whether to gasp or smirk. Usually, his books also touch on a some kind of geopolitical issue, so you can learn something really clever while he keeps you awake nights.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Funny and entertaining, January 12, 2008

By 

D. Drury - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Death Trust (Hardcover)

You gotta read this. I loved it. Fast. AND funny. I gave my copy to my dad
who thought it was like Ludlum crossed with Chandler, whoever he is. The
main character in the book is a Special Agent in the US Air Force called Vin
Cooper whose life is messed up by his ex-wife - the way she dumped him is
classic. Think shower and wife and marriage counsellor...Anyway, it's a
little sick and dark in places, but then Cooper makes some comment and you
just find yourself laughing. And the conspiracy angle packs a punch too.
Looking forward to the next one.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Retired USAF OSI Agent Loved This Thriller..., January 9, 2011

By 

Anon Y. Mous - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Death Trust (Hardcover)

I can assure you there are points of exaggeration in Special Agent Coopers, Air Force Office of Special Investigation... But Mr. Rollins catapults his Special Agent through a maze of investigative activities that loop his reader into moments of tragedy, suspense, humor, fright, misdirection, a dose of romance, and a dribbling of clues that truly inspire the turning of pages for more... Death Thrust is a Great Read.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars PASS. Go directly to A Knife Edge, July 8, 2009

By 

DM (ORegon) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Death Trust (Mass Market Paperback)

This is David Rollins first book and it's real bad. Too much stock conspiracy mumbo jumbo with a protagonist who just can't be killed ....even by the most powerful people with access to all the military weapons known to mankind and the personnel to wield it. It's embarrasing.

A Knife Edge is real good, up until page 312.
The Death Trust is real bad all the way thru.