Blue Fall

As an action-suspense novel, Blue Fall breaks no new ground; however it does walk the ground laid for it with confidence and energy. To peg it on a familiar scale—that of historic television shows that were also international thrillers—this novel may not be Mission: Impossible or the original version of The Prisoner, but at a Man From U.N.C.L.E. level, it is quite entertaining.

The essential plot narrative also brings back fond TV memories. The usual mysterious organization, in this case BlueHorse Holdings sponsors and administers The Tournament, wherein color and nationally-coded teams of mercenaries hunt each other down and—you can guess the rest. Except, the mercenaries usually don’t die as they receive something called the Diode, which renders them effectively invulnerable to wounds…or does it? Into this fairly standard plot comes Frank Youngsmith, Insurance Agent. One of the Tournament people did die and as he was insured ‘for millions,’ Frank is assigned to investigate the claim. Complications arise.

Frank is quite likable in his fretting way. He’s quite an amiable guide for the reader, taking him or her through this cracking tale. The only substantive criticism is that while they are all well-written, giving each major character a full written backstory might slow down the action a bit. Then again, who’s to complain about a leisurely read?

The ultimate, and really the only important, judgment of a ‘first in series’ book is do you want to read Volume Two? Those who enjoy this one, which should be more than 80% of those who get a copy for curiosity’s sake, will come back for more. As a first novel, this is a good start to a career.