BNN Book Review

Palawan by C. D. Williams

October 25th, 2007 by Andrew Ian Dodge

A little under 250 pages with a nice tropical scene on the cover might lead you to believe that this was a fluffy little novel about romance in the South Seas. And that is just the point of the cover, to lure you into this rip-roaring thriller with Islamic terrorists and ‘Nam vets. Locals as diverse as the lush tropical jungle of the Philippines and Sin City aka Las Vegas add to a nice mixture here.

This is a great thriller that never once drags anywhere. The pace is quick, the novel is well laid out and the editing is better than most mass market paperbacks. The fact that Williams has pulled off a timely terrorist thriller with more pace and less verbiage than the mighty Tom Clancy is to be applauded.

This is a perfect novel for someone flying from the East Coast of the US to Vegas. A perfect travel novel that has enough to get you distracted but not enough to get turgid. I highly recommend this novel and feel almost intimidated that this is Williams’ debut.

The novel would make a perfect movie, as long as Williams could make sure the baddies stay the same. Methinks there is a great script right below the surface. Let me assure you that it does not read like a script made into a novel.

If you are in search of a good novel to while away a few hours before you sleep at night might I suggest Palawan?