***** Heart Stopping Suspense Review by Rox Burkey
This is the second novel by Author Randall Krzak I have had the good fortune of reading. This story feels like it is pulled from recent headlines with locations and name changed to protect people and countries.
The first chapter starts off gripping the reader with the vivid journey of escape. A woman, later identified as Natalee Grace Wainwright, missing seven weeks after a vacation to Bali. Injured and hospitalized, Natalee was savagely beaten before she was found barely alive. Her memories are fractured with flashbacks of others held captive with her. Yet, I cheered her brave resiliency to help make a difference from page 1 to the very end.
Singapore security people intercept a few bomber teams before they completed their assignment. When no headway is made with interrogating the suspects before they are tortured to death, the nation asks for support from outside. Bedlam Charlie, a group of skilled operatives led by Evelyn Evinrude, responds to the cry for help. The multi-national effort against the terrorists keeps the tension until the very end.
“Evelyn shook her head. “The world’s a more dangerous place than ever. As soon as we neutralize one threat, another takes over. Any idea who’s behind this?”
“The usual suspects, but perhaps a new group is behind the killing.” Harrison offered a tired smile. “This is one of the reasons for the creation of the Bedlam team—to tackle these situations as soon as possible, so they don’t become catastrophes or cause a direct threat to Australia.” He unwrapped the package from Evelyn.
“Enough serious chat for now. Let’s find out what Sir Alex sent.” He lifted two brown bottles into the air. “Oh my! Twenty-five-year-old Talisker single malt from the Isle of Skye. My favorite.”
Author Krzak has an uncanny ability to convey the characters from the inside out. The operatives are hunting international terrorists who have captured ambassadors from various countries to assure their demands are met. The military strategies needed to defeat and annihilate these heartless terrorists take the operatives on a suspenseful, action-packed chase. There is no easy way to promise the outcome.
Carnage in Singapore, the third volume in the Bedlam Series, reflects the extremes that are used by the terrorists for their cause. It is well-researched, detailed, and unrelenting suspense from start to finish. I highly recommend this story and this author for keeping a reader turning the pages non-stop. I also need to go back and get the first in the series, The Kurdish Connection.
About the Author:
Randall Krzak is a U.S. Army veteran and retired senior civil servant, spending thirty years in Europe, Africa, Central America, and the Middle East. His residency abroad qualifies him to build rich worlds in his action-adventure novels and short stories. Familiar with customs, laws, and social norms, he promotes these to create authentic characters and scenery.
His first novel, The Kurdish Connection, was published in 2017, and the sequel, Dangerous Alliance, was released in November 2018. Both placed in the 2018 Global Thriller Book Awards sponsored by Chanticleer International Book Awards, with The Kurdish Connection finishing as a semi-finalist and Dangerous Alliance being selected as one of seven first in category winners. The third novel in the series, Carnage in Singapore, was released in August 2019 and is one of six first in category winners in the 2019 Chanticleer International Book Awards (Global Thrillers category). He also penned “A Dangerous Occupation,” a winning entry in the August 2016 Wild Sound Writing and Film Festival Review short story category.
He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Maryland and a general Master in Business Administration (MBA) and an MBA with an emphasis in Strategic Focus, both from Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, Scotland. He currently resides with his wife, Sylvia, and six cats in Dunfermline, Scotland. He’s originally from Michigan, while Sylvia is a proud Scot. In addition to writing, he enjoys hiking, reading, candle making, pyrography, and sightseeing.
Follow Randall’s writing journey at www.randallkrzak.com or sign up for his newsletter at https://randallkrzak.com/randalls-newsletter/. Thanks for dropping in. Your support is always appreciated!
