Customer Reviews

Gulf Winds

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It began in Iraq. Members of a Florida National Guard unit are clearing a road of IEDs. Ordered back to camp, their Humvees are ambushed. Later, back in the world, members of the unit find their lives entwined by current events.

The author spins a complex tail with multiple twists and turns. A wounded veteran's struggle to return to the world, air dropped "square flounders," an attempted drug rip off, some snakes, several mad Cubans with ties to al Qaida, and a greyhound named Flash. Oh yes, a few good looking women, too. Add a few Katyusha rockets, an Arab fanatic, a couple of bad cops, and two computer experts for flavor. Cook slowly for a long week, and you have Gulf Winds.

The story is set in the author's back yard, and is filled with interesting observations about the wildlife. There is enough action for several books, and the reader is kept guessing until the last page.

Don't start the book if you are a five page reader, for you will get lost in the complicated plot. This is a good book for a rainy or a cold winter weekend. Not a book to put down and pick up days later. A cast of characters would help, and I suggest listing the characters as they appear, starting with the prologue.

Gulf Winds embodies what a suspense thriller is all about. Uly Grant is no iron-jawed superhero but an ordinary guy caught up in extraordinary events. He has flaws that make him quite human and believable: his dependence on pain killers precribed for his leg that was damaged in combat, his fight to control his temper. He is a man with a burnt out psyche from his tour of duty in Iraq who has come to prefer the company of his dog Flash to that of people. He has difficulty relating to women, especially Katrina, a woman thrushed into his life.
The author's military background gives authenticity to all the action sequences and characters. As in all good thrillers, it has some tasty villains for Uly to foil. The plot is complicated involving drug deals, political bribes and terrorists so the reader will have to have his thinking cap on to figure out what is going on.

Wow. Action right out of the gate that doesn't quit. A good ride with credible protagonist, Ulysses "Uly" Grant and his greyhound, Flash. I salute the author. Uly can come sit on my dock any time, and I'll supply the beer. Flash, he gets a whole box of dog biscuits. Karl Cates.