Off the Edge

Astrobiologist, rancher and Vietnam veteran Jim Johnson now works as a special government agent with his long time friend Brush, attached to a biological counterterrorist group. They have had several difficult missions over many years, which they have carried out in their own very individual way. Returning from one of these, they are both looking forward to a llama-packing trip, with friends, in the Pasayten Wilderness, northeast of Seattle on the Canadian border. Their idyllic time is cut short, however, as they are recalled to deal with a possible terrorist threat. A bacteria resistant to all known antibiotics has been set loose in the University of Washington medical school. How can its deadly spread be stopped and what is the connection with the deaths of some horse packers in the Pasayten Wilderness and a mysterious group of Middle Easterners? The mystery unfolds as we are introduced to the General, a tough combat commander with a medical degree, his research staff and the kindly, brilliant and self-effacing professor J. T and a team of scientists. The tension builds as all strands of the story develop in parallel, events in the Pasayten, centering on Jim's girlfriend Heather, the spread of the bacteria and the plans of Farasie and his group of terrorist, which includes the sexy and sadistic Najma, We discover that the attacks are not linked and Nusmen, a frustrated loner and originator of the bacteria, is conscripted to find its cure. Meanwhile Farasie has put plans in place for a large scale attack on Seattle. It is Labor weekend and the Bumbershoot festival is also in full swing, enough activity to divert attention away from him and his group. But where is his target? The festival? The Space Needle? He has laid his plans meticulously but Jim is on his trail along with a unique group of Special Forces attached to the State Department. Sometimes hindered rather than helped by the FBI, the SF team has more in common with Jim and Brush. There is plenty of action including shoot outs, attacks during the Bumbershoot Festival, car chases and even helicopter chases as Jim closes in on Farasie and we finally discover that the main target for the terrorist attack is the large Convention Centre overhanging the freeway in downtown Seattle. Excitement, tension and mystery run throughout, heightened by the many twists and turns in the plot. As the devious and double crossing Farasie is determined to make his millions, Jim has to make difficult choices, not only operational but also personal. How can he atone for the deaths of the two girls that haunt his memory because of a long ago mistake in Vietnam? How can they stop Farasie without terrifying the whole population of Seattle? And how can he rescue Heather, who has a deathly fear of heights, when it means a leap off the edge? The chase continues back to mountains where Farasie, Najma, Jim, Heather and Brush, confront each other. All these strands are interwoven as Jim is familiar with the different worlds of science and academia, backwoodsmanship, military and survival tactics and lateral thinking. They are brought to life by a number of interesting characters; Ray and Wayne, old time ranchers, Dr Banks, an MIT professor, Old Man Shuskin, a vagrant who lives in the woods, Nielly, a Special Forces team leader, and Shiella, a whiz FBI analyst. And while a satisfying conclusion is reached, there are still tempting avenues to explore in later books.