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Constant Fear by Daniel Palmer
When
Jake Dent’s dreams of baseball glory fell apart in a drunk-driving incident,
his marriage did too. In those dark days, a popular survivalist blog helped to
restore Jake’s sense of control. He’s become an avid Doomsday Prepper, raising
his diabetic son, Andy, to be ready for any sudden catastrophe.
Andy,
now a student at the prestigious Pepperell Academy where Jake works as a
custodian, has a secret—he’s part of a computer club that redistributes money
from the obscenely wealthy to the needy. Usually, their targets don’t even
realize they’ve been hacked. But this time, they’ve stolen from the wrong
people: a vicious drug cartel that is coming to get its money back…
Staging
a chemical truck spill as a distraction, the cartel infiltrates the Academy,
taking Andy and his friends hostage one by one. Jake, hidden inside the
school’s abandoned tunnels, knows that soon the killing will start. With his
training, and a stockpile of weapons and supplies, he’s the last, best hope
these students—including his son—have of getting out alive. But survival is no
longer an abstract concept. It’s a violent, brutal struggle that will test Jake
to the limit, where there are no rules and no second chances…
Cheryl’s
review
As
you know, I’ve been reviewing Daniel Palmer’s books since the beginning. I was
lucky to win a review copy from him by posting to Facebook (become a fan: https://www.facebook.com/danielpalmerbooks). I’ve enjoyed
all his books and the more he writes, the better he gets. I found myself
Technology
is the underlying center of all his books. In Constant Fear, it’s the fragile world of earning money online. He
explains how it works, benefits, faults, and in this case it made me glad I
have not entered that world. There is a mix of characters immersed in the world
and those who avoid it, creating a conflict where both have to learn important
lessons. Jake is a survivalist while his son has the technology talent.
One
of Palmer’s talents is building the story. He starts with character development
and backstory, so that you feel immersed in the people’s lives. Then you get
sucked in and don’t want to stop until you know what happens. Many times as I
read, I found myself tense and had to remind myself to relax. As the cartel
took over the Academy and the computer club they suspected of stealing their
money, it was nonstop action.
What
Palmer also does very well is mixing the action with physical and psychological
- it’s not just kidnapping and survival, but the reasons why they took action. This
book was more violent than his others, but he painted a realistic portrait of
why the characters acted the way they did. Often I wonder, what would I do if I
were in their situation? (which I hope I never am) And, as always, there was an
unexpected twist at the end.
Palmer
truly is a great suspense novelist and I am a dedicated fan.
