The Valley of Shadows: A Derek Stillwater Thriller

by Mark Terry

Overview

A raid on a Pakistan Al-Qaeda cell recovers two laptops. When the computers' booby-traps are defused and the computers decrypted and translated, they indicate that Al-Qaeda has planned a series of simultaneous attacks in five U.S. cities involving potential dirty bombs, biological weapons and maybe even a nuclear weapon-on Election Day. Derek Stillwater, troubleshooter for the Department of Homeland Security, is assigned to a multi-jurisdictional Special Terrorism Activity Response Team (START) to locate the weapon and terrorists in Los Angeles and prevent the attack. They have two days. But as they close in on their targets, Derek begins to think that the intelligence they gathered is a sideshow to distract them from the real target-one of the two candidates for President of the United States.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781933515953
Publisher:	Oceanview Publishing
Publication date:	06/07/2011
Series:	A Derek Stillwater Thriller , #2
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	336
Sales rank:	621,465
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Mark Terry is the author of the Derek Stillwater series, which includes The Devil's Pitchfork, The Serpent's Kiss, The Fallen, and several standalone novels. He is a contributing essayist in Thrillers: 100 Must-Reads. When not writing, Mark practices guitar, lifts weights, bikes, runs, and studies Sanchin-Ryu karate, in which he holds the level of black belt.

Editorial Reviews

Terry mashes the action pedal to the floor in his solid fourth Derek Stillwater novel (after The Fallen), then attempts to keep the plot and characters on the road as they careen down the thriller mountain. Derek, a Homeland Security agent, joins a team investigating a terror threat against five major U.S. cities set for election day in November. Not someone who works well with others at the best of times, Derek's dismayed to be partnered with nuclear weapons expert Cassandra O'Reilly, with whom he's had a rocky former personal and professional relationship. They have two days to locate the Pakistani mastermind behind the planned attacks, former art history professor Miraj Khan (aka Kalakar). When a final target looms in Kalakar's sights, Derek's efforts to thwart this attack provide the novel's exciting conclusion. Readers will have little time or inclination to search for subtleties as they happily race along with the indestructible Derek. (June)

Publishers Weekly

"Complex and gripping, The Valley of Shadows by Mark Terry is a sprawling tale of espionage, religious fanaticism, and the cost of hubris. With rich characters and superb insider details, it's a deeply satisfying novel that will linger with you a long time." — Gayle Lynds, New York Times bestselling author


"The latest Derek Stillwater novel, The Valley of Shadows, is a first- rate thriller, well-crafted and relentless, that launches like a rocket and never slows down. Mark Terry is at the top of his form, a slam-bang storyteller, and this novel about L.A. under attack from jihadists is not to be missed." — Douglas Preston, NYT best-selling author


"Not since Thomas Harris's classic Black Sunday has a thriller so brilliantly captured the very real threats posed by modern terrorism as The Valley of Shadows. Mark Terry's terrifying tale reads like prophecy, warning and treatise all rolled into one. And the result is a ticking clock treat that's the very definition of a one-sitting read. Vince Flynn and James Rollins better watch their backs because Mark Terry is coming up fast!" — Jon Land, bestselling author

From the Publisher

Terry's latest thriller featuring Derek Stillwater (The Fallen; The Serpent's Kiss) is a tepid, fractured affair. As Derek bounces from Pakistan to L.A. in pursuit of terrorists planning a series of attacks on Election Day, Terry loses a lot of momentum along the way. Derek, his nemesis/superior, and the obligatory sacrificial agent are all clumsily developed, and the only character Terry seems to have invested any emotion in is a fringe player in the real attack. Great concept, clunky execution.

Library Journal