Vapors [Hardcover]

Wes DeMott (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 14, 1999

A former FBI agent and SWAT team member, Wes DeMott returns to Washington, D.C., in his second novel, "Vapors", a psychological thriller and love story about America's defense contractors and the dangerous territory beyond government oversight where secret policy is made. The twisting tale begins when Peter Jamison, an aerospace engineer, discovers accounting fraud while trying to save his contract for a tactical weapons system. In an effort to save the job of his co-worker, he turns to Melissa Corley, an attorney with the Citizens' Coalition Against Government Waste and the object of his affection. DeMott's story takes readers into the White House, a senator's office and the FBI.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Admiral House made news recently when it announced a hefty ad/promo campaign for the second novel (after Walking K) by DeMott, a former FBI agent. The novel itself, about a coverup of corporate fraud, is less remarkable than the campaign, though it is competent throughout and outstanding toward its end. Vietnam vet Peter Jamison is working for Dillon Aerospace on a weapons system for a new airplaneAuntil the project is called off and his team fired. Jamison turns for help to Melissa Corley, who works for the Citizen's Coalition Against Government Waste. When Jamison gives her his files on the weapons system, Melissa has the information she needs to prove that Dillon has been bilking the government out of a billion dollars. But Dillon security chief Jack Kane is going to do his best to stop both of themAand his best includes murder. The pacing of this novel is frustrating. Instead of tense scenes following one another like firecrackers, they're interrupted by dead-fuse descriptions. DeMott spends too much time describing everything Jamison does from the moment he gets out of bed, diffusing much of the potential for suspenseful thrills. But near the novel's end, the story shifts gears with unexpected plot twists and a major, clever character shift, opening up so many intriguing and fresh new perspectives that they seem to be streaming in from a different book. While ending with a flourish as a stylized, turn-on-a-dime crime story where the lines between love, murder and espionage are deftly blurred, this novel could, and should, have been much more. 35,000 first printing; $200,000 ad/promo; author tour.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

It's about corruption in high places, its about the FBI, its about undying love, but most of all it's about people shooting other people. Hotshot engineer Peter Jamison is in trouble. His major project at Dillon Aerospace has been abruptly aborted, and he doesn't know why. But he thinks Melissa Corley does. She's very smart and works for a citizens' coalition that monitors the industry. She's also very beautiful, and Peter loves her to distraction. Melissa convinces Peter that Dillon Aerospace is evil and that they owe it to America to blow the whistle on these devils. The two amass a dossier of villainous behavior and turn it over to feisty Senator Drummond, who heads the Senate Armed Services Committee. But now Dillon, alerted, stands ready to retaliate. Jack Kane, head of the company's security operation, may be the best fighter in the whole world. Moreover, he has all manner of hired guns at his disposal and sends out a stream of them to silence Peter. Bad move: Jack should have gone himself. Though hes 47, Peter has forgotten none of the lethal skills he learned in Vietnam 30 years ago. He beats up on the mercenaries, kills a few. In the meantime, Melissa has been arrested by rogue elements in the FBI for reasons not absolutely clear. Peter, desperate to free her, gets help from tried-and-true elements in the FBI. Additional fire- and fist- fights follow; more bodies are rendered dead in a variety of gore-drenched ways. At length, Peter rescues Melissa, who turns out (alas) to have character flaws. Other good guys have also somehow become bad guys, and those among them left alive go to jail. DeMott (Walking K, not reviewed) has little to offer thriller aficionados other than implausible characters, clumsy dialogue, unlikely plot twists, and violence, violence, violence. (First printing of 40,000; $200,000 ad/promo; author tour) -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 350 pages
• Publisher: Admiral House Publishing; 1 edition (April 14, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0965960277
• ISBN-13: 978-0965960274
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.5 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,481,371 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Ehhh...., August 31, 2006

By 

Alan Smithee (Falls Church, Virginia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Vapors (Hardcover)

Passible, I suppose, for a beach read - but far from great. I was ready to stop after the first couple chapters, but pressed on for reasons that still aren't quite clear to me. The clumsy writing style and gratutious descriptions of violence were often a turn-off.

Still, it did have a couple points that saved it from being truly forgettable. I did like how the characters (particularly the main antagonist) were not completely black/white. Most had nicely done shades of grey that kept them from being completely stock. And the twists near the end - if clumsily written - were clever.

I could sense Mr. DeMott's ambition with this work, but his writing would benefit from being a bit more subtle and a little less purient. But perhaps his target audience would disagree?

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Vapors kept me spell-bound until the last page., February 12, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Vapors (Hardcover)

Vapors is the kind of book that changes the way you view things around you. The plot is so plausible that it makes you wonder if you're reading fiction or non-fiction.

Besides the fast pace and political suspense that author Wes DeMott is known for, I always appreciate his character development. Vapors is a special treat because one of the central characters is an assertive woman operating in a man's world. It was interesting to follow the interaction among the characters and between the sexes. Having a female main character provided the extra twist that kept me guessing what would happen next.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Great Book About Ike's Military/Industrial Complex Speech!, July 6, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Pittsburgh, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Vapors (Hardcover)

This is the first book I have read by this author, I just couldn't put the book down (except to sleep). The pace is fast, and you would think the story is predictable, but it is not. Believe me, it isn't. Good character development, and a love story becomes the core of the book.

I don't want to give away too much, but Jack Kane, that is one cool character.

It is apparent though, that the primary character's physical attributes seem to be quite similar to Mr. DeMott's......