Murder On The Metro

While Lia Ganz, a retired and highly decorated member of the Israeli army, stands holding her three-year-old granddaughter tightly against her, drones spray the beach in Caesarea, Israel, taking countless lives. Thankfully, the water shields them from imminent danger, and they survive.

A woman at the Washington Metro exhibits emblematic behavior of someone about to pull the cord of a suicide vest. Robert Brixton follows her closely as the memories of his late daughter whose life was taken by a suicide bomber, haunt him. He vows this time will end differently, and his courageous actions ensure that.

Kendra Rendine, Vice President Stephanie Davenport’s Secret Service Security lead, witnesses the sudden death of the Vice President. Devastated, she begins to methodically retrace her steps and the events that led up to this day. What she discovers leads her to believe the death was no accident, but instead, the result of a premeditated act of murder.

What becomes evident is these seemingly unrelated incidents are intricately linked. Ganz, Brixton, and Rendine uncover horrifying truths, the worst of which is yet to come. An event of unconscionable proportion is about to take place. Without their intervention a significant percentage of the population will be eliminated. Together, they mastermind a plan to stop the President’s wife from setting off a chemical attack that will rip apart the nation.

Murder on the Metro has a cast of complex and well-developed characters. The stories run parallel, beginning on desperate planes and eventually meeting at an intersection of undeniable interconnectedness. The mystery of how the drone attack in Israel is related to the Vice President of the United States’ death is confounding, but what the reader learns is that in order to ensure her husband never loses his position of authority, the President’s wife will do anything, including using the Israeli’s like a scapegoat for her own atrocities. She plans the minute details of the medical intervention that results in the Vice President’s demise. She is ruthless, and her deceitful, evil ways are intercepted in the end, leaving the reader with the satisfaction of knowing that justice prevailed.

Jon Land writes with precision. It’s evident he dedicated due diligence to the research needed to accurately depict the characters, scenes, and events in the text. His use of foreshadowing and figurative language are impressive. They aid in bringing his narrative to life.

At times, the pace seems slow, and the reader awaits the next thrill, hoping it will quickly come. However, the speed picks up as does the suspense, especially towards the latter part of the book. Piecing together the clues of whose responsible for the savagery is challenging and adds to the quality and enjoyment of the read. Overall, it’s a worthy endeavor.