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Mira Books
Reviewed by Sunnie Gill
This is a troubled world. These days there is a sense of inevitability
about terrorist activity.
During a siege on a Pacific island tourists are taken hostage by a group
demanding free and fair elections. As there are Australian hostages, the
Redbacks, a privately funded retrieval team led by Bryn Gideon, are sent
in secretly to rescue them. But they're not the only ones sneaking about
in the dark. The Americans are here, uninvited, in force with lots of big
guns and even bigger bangs. It all goes horribly pear-shaped for the
Americans, but they do provide a degree of cover for the Redbacks making
their job marginally easier. But what are the Americans doing there in the
first place?
A bomb blast in Pakistan isn’t all that unusual so the outside world takes
little notice, except for two Australian Special Operations soldiers and
one lone CIA agent. And how about the bombing of a multi-story car park in
Dallas, Texas, and the blowing up of a passenger train in Luxembourg,
unfortunately containing relatives of a senior member of the United States
government?
Meanwhile in Australia, the SETSA conference, involving major Asia-Pacific
leaders, is going to be one of the jewels in the crown of the Prime
Minister, who is pleased that the US Vice-President is coming as a guest
observer. The PM is on Bondi beach with one of his senior cabinet
ministers when shots are fired. The PM is wounded in the leg and his
colleague is dead. This is Australia’s first political assassination. But
what’s the motive?
After this assassination, Bryn and her team are asked to provide extra
security cover for the SETSA conference. They quickly discover there’s a
lot more going on than appears on the surface. Exactly what, is going to
take all their considerable talent and wit to find out.
REDBACK is being called a thriller and while there is action, there is a
also great deal of plot. It is rich in characters. Each scenario has its
own set of characters. They are more than just one dimensional cardboard
cut outs. Having so many different characters in various parts of the
world can be a little confusing at times and it can be difficult to keep
straight just who belongs where. Some of the sub-plots work much better
than others. I particularly enjoyed the Special Forces men in Pakistan:
Mudge and Spud and their CIA colleague, an eager-beaver new boy they
christen Bam-Bam, and the entertaining dialogue between them.
Many of the politicians and events in the book are recognisable as real
people: the American president who is not the sharpest knife in the
drawer; a Machiavellian Australian Prime Minister who is almost
universally disliked by his colleagues; the strong-minded female New
Zealand Prime Minister; and the SETSA Conference with a barbecue at
Kirribilli House* for the world leaders closing down half of
Sydney’s streets.
By and large Cameron manages this large cast of characters very well and
has structured the book in such a way that there are a number of
mini-cliff hangers within the book. Just as you get to a really
interesting bit, it switches to another sub-plot. It’s a sure fire way of
keeping the reader turning the pages. That is another thing she does very
well. Many thrillers require the reader to suspend disbelief to an extent.
Cameron largely manages to avoid this. I’m the first to admit that
thrillers aren’t my first choice for reading, so I’m often a harsh critic
when it comes to this genre. With the exception of the ending which I felt
strained credibility just a little too much for me, the book hangs
together well and dedicated thriller readers will find little to quibble
about with REDBACK.
Aug 2008
* Kirribilli House is one of two official residences for
Australia’s Prime Ministers. Kirribilli House is situated on the north
shore of Sydney Harbour near the Harbour Bridge and looks across the
Harbour into the city and the Opera House.
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