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Review: Howard Gordon, executive producer of the Fox television series 24, crafts a similarly styled thriller introducing Special Presidential Envoy Gideon Davis in Gideon's War.

Gideon is a formidable international negotiator, working primarily as an in-between when foreign countries have a dispute, the frequent result being a pact both sides can live with. But his brother, Tillman, doesn't agree with Gideon's "passive" approach to conflict, leaving the two men estranged for the past 10 years. The only person both keep in regular contact with is Earl "Uncle Earl" Parker, a close friend of their dead father, and the current Deputy National Security Advisor. When Tillman unexpectedly contacts Parker from the small island nation of Mohan in Southeast Asia, it is to turn himself in — as Abu Nasir, the known leader of a terrorist sect — on one condition: that Gideon be the person to escort him back to the US. But the situation is far more complicated that either Parker or Gideon can imagine, with all their lives soon on the line.

Gideon's War has a "ripped from the headlines" plotline, yet offers a rather original spin on current international affairs. The action is dynamic and non-stop, moving rapidly from scene to scene, each setting providing a suitably thrilling subadventure on its way to an explosive climax aboard a giant oil rig. Fans of international/political thrillers will appreciate that this is more than just a simple action/adventure story, that Gideon Davis is an interesting, well-developed character and the nuanced plot offers surprising depth and complexity.

Though the author may have intended this to be a stand-alone thriller, it's likely readers would look forward to a sequel.

Gideon's War by Howard Gordon — A Gideon Davis Mystery

Publisher: Touchstone
Format: Hardcover
ISBN-13: 978-1-4391-7581-1
Publication Date: January 2011
List Price: $24.99