Sunday, July 7, 2013

Read: "Point and Shoot" by Duane Swierczynski

Read: Point and Shoot by Duane Swierczynski, 2013, 9780316133302.

Good but I think I enjoyed the other two novels in the Charlie Hardie series more than this one. 

Charlie Hardie is alive and well and in outer space.  Hardie was sent into space at the end of the second book when he accepted a deal from the Vast Conspiracy that he was fighting.  Hardie agreed to go into space for a year and live inside, and guard, a satellite owned by the Conspiracy and the Conspiracy would spare his family.

Resupply rockets come up every few months and Hardie is stuck inside the space equivalent to the interior of a Honda Odyssey van.  Hardie does nothing but float around, eat, sleep, and spend an hour a day watching his family through the secret cameras in their home.  Then he hears and feels a thump and bump as another craft attaches to his satellite.  On board comes a guy who has been surgically altered to look just like Charlie.  Charlie 1 is surprised.

Charlie 2 says he is there to save Charlie 1 and has been made to look exactly like Charlie 1 to trick the satellite's sensors or the satellite will kill them both.  Charlie 2 says he has to recover a computer drive that contains information that could destroy the Conspiracy.  The computer drive has been hidden on the satellite.  Fighting ensues.  Trickery and lies by Charlie 1 and Charlie 2 ensue.

The Charlies crash land off the CA coast.  The Charlies continue to doublecross each other on the way to the East Coast.  Deke The FBI Guy from the other books shows up hunting Hardie with the intention of helping him out.  Deke the FBI Guy buys the farm.  Evil One-Eyed One-Boobed Girl Assasin is out to get revenge on Hardie after books one and two.  The Conspiracy leaders plot against each other and plan to kill Hardie.

Fighting ensues.  Creepy Conspiracy powers ensue.  Introduction to Hardie's family ensues.  Serial Killers reappear.  Serial Killers kill.  Evil One-Eyed One-Boobed Gal is threatening and vicious.  Serial Killers are killed.  Evil One-Eyed One-Boobed Gal is killed. Charlie 2 is shot by the Charlie 1's son in mistaken identity.  Charlie 2 rescued from car trunk and his family drives to the NSA in Virginia.  Everyone lives happily ever after on a secret military base until Swierczynski leaves things open for a sequel.

Comments:
1.  Gratuitous Jon Jordan reference.
2.  Gratuitous Muskego, WI reference.
3.  Grauitous Philadelphia love.
4.  Gratuitous Philadelphia hate.
5.  Gratuitous copy writer screw up referring to a ".23 Glock".  Yeah, they had the decimal point in there.
6.  Gratuitous Montreal underground.

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