The Paris Protection
- 2015 INDIES Finalist
- Finalist, Thriller & Suspense (Adult Fiction)
Thriller fans will find themselves on the edge of their seats as they experience Paris at breakneck speed.
In Bryan Devore’s heart-stopping thriller The Paris Protection, Secret Service agents Rebecca Reid and David Stone are charged with protecting US President Abigail Clarke during a summit trip to Paris. With the evil Maximillian Wolff bent on destroying America, they face no easy task.
Wolff, former Israeli Security Protector, aims to destroy America using surprise, deception, and strategy, and his plan will take place underneath the bustling streets of Paris during a summit meeting that includes POTUS and her vast security detail. The Secret Service thinks they are ready for every eventuality, but they soon learn there are plans they could not have anticipated.
Devore creates interesting, flawed characters and makes excellent use of detail to draw the reader into the exciting story. Most impressive are Devore’s female characters, especially Special Agent Rebecca Reid. As the tension mounts and the survival of the president becomes more and more tenuous, Reid proves herself to be smart and beyond capable. In one of the most stunning scenes, she pulls the president up a ladder to safety from the depths of the tunnels beneath the city. Each and every painful move up the ladder is palpable.
The setting could not be better realized. Using realistic detail, Devore depicts the beauty of the City of Lights as the President and her detail arrive, but soon the action moves to the dark, dank catacombs and tunnels beneath the city. The conflict of dark versus light and good versus evil is very obvious here, but it does not become a distraction. The metaphor is handled subtly enough, and as the bodies pile up and the evil becomes even more menacing, the shift from above to below the city melds the theme and the setting in exciting ways.
One of the more clever plot devices Devore employs is the use of various historical military strategies as patterns for Wolff’s attacks on the American security detail. Historical influences include Hannibal’s true goal in crossing Italy (breaking Roman alliances) and the Israeli forces after Yitzhak Rabin’s assassination. These historical inclusions give Wolff’s evil character greater depth, and the story a more complete, purposeful feel.
Those considering reading this book should set aside a good chunk of time, because it’s nearly impossible to put down. Thriller fans will find themselves on the edge of their seats as they experience Paris at breakneck speed.
Reviewed by
Lynn Evarts
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book and paid a small fee to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. Foreword Reviews and Clarion Reviews make no guarantee that the publisher will receive a positive review. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
