Reign in Hell [Paperback]

William Diehl (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2, 2004

Right-wing fundamentalist groups are spreading across America. Preaching against the government, they are not afraid to take direct action. And it's more than a matter of not paying taxes - they are prepared to rob, to murder, even to wag war against the US government. And the only man capable of stopping them without vast bloodshed is US Attorney Martin Vail. Battling against the clock, Vail and his team work to uncover what links the crimes to the churches, the felonies to the fascists. But what begins as a high-wire act of negotiation explodes into a personal nightmare for Vail, as his most sinister adversary rears his evil head. And as he comes closer to uncovering the heart of the evil, Armageddon approaches.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

" 'So Pennington trades his war years for a ticket to the White House and Engstrom plans the second American Revolution,' Vail said." This is the premise behind Diehl's (Show of Evil, LJ 4/15/95) new Martin Vail novel. Illinois state attorney general Vail is called upon by President Lawrence Pennington to seek a trial case against one of the largest militia outfits in the country. The leader of this outfit, Gen. Joshua Engstrom, just happens to be an old adversary of the president, putting Vail in the middle of a dangerous situation. Vail must also relive the past when unwillingly faced with his nemesis from years ago, serial killer Aaron Stampler, who has now become blind Brother Transgression. The meshing of these storylines is intricate yet easily followed as the tension mounts. Diehl's exciting mystery teaches the reader never to think that it is over?until it is really over. Recommended for all public libraries.
-?Stacey Reasor, ITT Technical Inst. Lib.,Tampa, Fla.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews

Veteran thriller writer Diehl pits scrappy Chicago lawyer Martin Vail against Bible-thumping militia maniacs and Vail's old adversary, psychokiller Aaron Stampler, in a mindless plotboiler that never fails to please. Having succeeded fabulously as a defense attorney (Primal Fear, 1993) and then as a district attorney (Show of Evil, 1995), crusading, street-smart Vail is now promoted to the lofty, politically turbulent office of Illinois State Attorney General. Between passionate trysts with his previous courtroom opponent, Jane Venable, Vail can't keep his paws (speaking of same) off corrupt politicians. Having committed his too-good-to-be-billable talents to the public weal, he effortlessly sends a pack of scalawags to jail using the RICO statute. He then finds himself tapped by US Attorney General Margaret Castaigne to draw up a RICO indictment against General Joshua Engstrom, a right-wing militia commander whose wacko religious order, the Sanctuary, may have been behind a terrorist attack on an Army convoy in Montana. Vail rapidly learns of Engstrom's hatred for his former Army buddy Lawrence Pennington, now President of the United States. Before you can say Ruby Ridge all over again, Diehl tosses in Arnold Stampler, Vail's homicidal former client and nemesis, as a fundamentalist preacher who feigns blindness and spouts marginally comprehensible hate sermons on Engstrom's radio station. From here on, Diehl's forced and foolish story hurtles on at full throttle, never stopping to question itself or the preposterousness of its plot. Vail staggers from one contrived cliffhanger to another until almost everyone is blown up except Stampler and Vail himself, who takes a bullet through his heart but has enough chutzpa to insult the President and thumb his nose at a federal judgeship. What a guy! Fizzy male wish-fulfillment that bulges with Clancyesque histrionics, frothing fundamentalist foment, and more than you want to know about hate groups and RICO indictments. (Literary Guild main selection/Mystery Guild selection; author tour) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 528 pages
• Publisher: Arrow (September 2, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0099472651
• ISBN-13: 978-0099472650
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.4 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (54 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,660,086 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A major let down., May 15, 2000

By 

Cody Menzies - See all my reviews

This review is from: Reign in Hell (Mass Market Paperback)

William Diehl is a fine writer and has been for many years. I am a huge fan of Primal Fear, and its superior follow up Show of Evil. And because of that track record, I grabbed Reign in Hell as soon as it hit the selves.

Unfortunately, with a major change in tone and plot, Reign is a giant disappointment. Gone is the intense cat-and-mouse game that made Show so brilliant, nor the strong, unforgettable characters of Primal. Instead, we get a movie-of-the-week plot involving redneck militias with fantasies of armogeddon, with Martin Vail and Aaron Stampler thrown in for what seems to be the hell of it. These two characters do not fit into such a none-personal story, and their involvement is so convoluted that it makes almost every other event in the books seem unbelievable too.

But alas, too much legal speak and dumb-plot syndrome predominate the book, boring the first time reader and angering those who had read his works before. And that is a pity. Veil and Stampler were too of the most memorable characters to ever face each other. The way their story is resolved here makes the climax an anti-climax.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Diehl's differnet but great continuation of the Vail series., July 21, 2000

By 

P. Legerski (Corona, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Reign in Hell (Mass Market Paperback)

Martin Veil returns for his third book from Diehl. In this one, Martin wins a RICO case in small town America, then is offered a chance to be Asst. Attorney General of the U.S. to set up a RICO case against a hate group called The Sanctuary. The majority of the story is about the members of The Sactuary and how they got to be where they are. A lot of action filled robberies and military expeditions flavor this novel. And Aaron Stampler does return. This piece is written more in the style and research of Tom Clancy. A lot of politics and military aspects are covered. Diehl's back stories and flashbacks to flesh out the characters and their motivations is a strong point. The conclusion is sad , true and too frequently real.

A different Diehl but a great book.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Save our forrests. Don't buy this book., November 2, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Reign in Hell (Hardcover)

What a disappointment. This book starts out giving us a very bright hero using his brains to take on a violent sociopath. It ends up as another shoot-em-up that reads like a blue print for a movie script rather than a novel. What a waste of time it was reading the final third of this book.