If you haven’t read a book by Stephen White, I suggest you get started. His newest book, “The Siege”, is a humdinger of a thriller. I was totally engrossed after ten pages.
Briefly, this is the plot. Someone has kidnapped the sons and daughters of some very prominent people i.e. the Secretary of the Army and a Supreme Court nominee. All the missing young people attend Yale and have been tapped by a secretive campus society, Book and Snake. They are being held hostage in the society’s “Tomb” on the Yale campus. The attacker releases hostages at intervals. Some are freed. Others are killed in horrible ways. There seems to be no rhyme nor reason as to who lives or dies.
Into this situation comes Sam Purdy, a suspended Boulder police detective. (Fans of Stephen White will recognize Purdy from White’s Alan Gregory novels.) The parents of one of the hostages ask him to go to New Haven and be their eyes on the ground, observing the situation and assisting them as much as he can. Sam feels he may be the wrong pick for this job. In addition to being a suspended police detective, he is almost broke and has no experience in espionage.
White introduces several new and exceptionally well-drawn characters in this book. Christopher Poe is a maverick FBI agent who operates a seemingly independent counter-terrorism unit within the FBI. He worked at the Oklahoma City Murrah Building when it was destroyed by Timothy McVeigh’s bomb. Poe carries heavy baggage from that incident.
CIA terror expert Deidre Drake is another new character. She and Poe have a long history, dating back to Oklahoma City. Although Dee is married, they maintain an ongoing intimate relationship. It is a lifeline for Poe who needs the relationship to maintain his sanity. Dee, on the other hand, suffers profound guilt because of it.
The society’s on campus home, the Book and Snake Tomb, is turned into a fortress by the terrorists. An unknown number of hostages are being held. The terrorists make no demands. Hostages are released or executed in a seemly haphazard manner. With no clue as to who the terrorist are or what they want, the three characters come together in New Haven to try to resolve the crisis and save lives.
The plot is complex, and the characters are memorable. White really needs to bring these characters back. Do I sense another series in the making? I hope so. Whether you are a fan of Stephen White or not, I urge you to read “The Siege”. You won’t be disappointed.
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