River of Darkness [Hardcover]

James Grady (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1991

The bestselling author of Six Days of the Condor at last returns to espionage with an extraordinary novel that is already receiving outstanding critical acclaim. Fifteen years in the making, River of Darkness introduces one of the most compelling characters in recent spy literature. Jud Stuart is the CIA's top operative, but the highest echelons are afraid of what he knows, so the hunt for Stuart is on. . . .

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

The author of Six Days of the Condor ( LJ 6/1/74) and Shadow of the Condor ( LJ 9/1/75) returns to spy fiction with a timeworn scenario. Former CIA secret agent Jud Stuart has abandoned the agency, disgusted by the deceit and bloodshed that marked his service in some of its most dangerous off-the-record operations. When the agency unofficially retaliates by sending a dedicated naval officer to hunt him down, Jud turns for help to an investigative reporter turned novelist whose research uncovers the reason for Jud's flight and endangers his own life as well. Although the novel gets off to a fast start, it soon bogs down in flashbacks and an overload of background information. The pace intensifies at the conclusion, but too late to save a work marred by banal dialog, clumsy prose, poorly developed characters, and predictable plot. Not recommended, but expect some demand from Condor enthusiasts. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 6/15/91.--Ed.
- Sister M. Anna Falbo CSSF, Villa Maria Coll. Lib., Buffalo, N.Y.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

The secret war in Laos, the Kurds, the cold war, the drug war, Watergate, and Iran-contra are among the submerged stumps and sand bars here through which paddle sundry good and evil employees of the American intelligence industry. Former Jack Anderson staffer Grady's previous thrillers include Steeltown (1989) and Hard Bargains (1985). Boozy renegade intelligence operative Jud Stuart has just enough wit left to realize that he has been shadowed to his low- rent, hard drinkers' bar in L.A., just enough strength left to flip his shadower and break the man's neck. Stuart knows it's time to start running again, but before he leaves town he calls a number in Washington, leaves his old code name, and sets a good many wheels in motion at the CIA, where they have often wondered what became of him. Wes Chandler, a straight-arrow Marine major and lawyer, is drafted to be the secret, off-the-books investigator with one charge--to find Stuart. Conducting a separate search is Stuart's old chum Nick Kelley, a writer who used to work for Washington's leading muckraker. The fleeing Stuart spends considerable time reviewing--at great and occasionally confusing length--his past adventures in order to figure out who is after him and why. Major Chandler, who has no memories to guide him, has to rely on good detective work and friends in useful places. Much blood is spilled, many CIA sins pop up, Richard Nixon haunts the halls, and the inevitable right-wing general lurks in the wings. A brooding, ambitious, and rather long wrap-up of everything awful in the American spy business. -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 406 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown & Company; First Edition edition (October 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 044651554X
• ISBN-13: 978-0446515542
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,264,460 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars could have been better with a bit more set up., August 21, 2004

By 

DWD "DWD's Reviews" (Indianapolis, IN) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: River of Darkness (Paperback)

Imagine that James Bond were no longer needed for Her Majesty's Secret Service so they decided to eliminate him so that he couldn't embarrass them later. This is sort of the premise of this book, except that Jud Stuart is not nearly as suave and debonair as Bond and he works for the American government.

Stuart is a special forces soldier recruited by the CIA during the Vietnam war. He is involved in action in Laos, Iran, the USSR, Washington D.C. and Central America. Finally, he's had enough and decides to use his connections to smuggle drugs into the U.S. and pocket the cash for himself (and eventually becomes a marked man due to nebulous connections to the Iran-Contra scandal).

The first 100 pages or so of this novel are confusing due to a large amount of flashbacks with little or no setup. Once all of the characters are established this is much more tolerable. The flashbacks themselves are very interesting since they involve Stuart's secret missions. The rest of the book, however, is not nearly so interesting.