The Devil's Delegation by J. Len Sciuto
What's It About?
A nuclear bomb has been launched at the United States by terrorists. Can the military thwart this attack or will millions die?One of the best-known authors on Earth, Tom Clancy was a pioneer in military thrillers whose name became a pop-culture shortcut for discussions about high-tech weaponry, espionage heroes and sinister plots to take down the United States government. Despite his death in 2013, his legacy lives on, with over 100 million copies of his books still in print and some such as The Hunt for Red October and Patriot Games even being given the Hollywood treatment.
In my review last year for author J. Len Sciuto’s novel Tango Down: China Sea, I lauded it for its unpredictability and excellent use of technical knowledge, concluding it is worthy of being compared to Clancy’s legendary work. I’m happy to say that with his latest novel, Devils Delegation, Sciuto has again met this glowing standard for military thrillers and cements himself as a worthy successor to Clancy’s legacy.
In Kuwait City, Mahfuz Abood is orphaned in the midst of Desert Storm. Blaming the United States for his parents’ death, Mahfuz is taken in by Pakistani terrorist Mustafa, who over time, teaches him their trade. Now a grown man, he devises a plan to pay back the United States in blood.
After commandeering an oil tanker and stealing a nuclear bomb from a Russian submarine graveyard, Mahfuz transports it to an Indian port and places it in the ship’s center cargo tank. A cargo of heavy crude oil is loaded onboard the tanker, making the bomb inaccessible with the activation controls hidden on the ship’s main deck. With the United States’ attention diverted towards New York, the tanker sails into the Gulf of Mexico hidden within an ominous hurricane. The target is Port Arthur, Texas, the most prominent port in the world for the import and export of petroleum, chemicals, and natural gasses. Will Mahfuz have his vengeance or will the United States prevent a major catastrophe?
A WORTHY SUCCESSOR TO CLANCY
Just like Sciuto’s first novel, and much of Clancy’s work before him, Devils Delegation keeps readers on their toes. With stakes raised sky high right out of the gate and an abundance of morally gray characters that will call allegiances into question, readers won’t know the twists until they hit them. For once I found myself unable to predict where the story would head next or who would live and who would die, and this was a feeling I quite relished.
Sciuto also once again hits hard with his meticulously researched exposition and technical knowledge, making for an immersive experience that greatly surpasses many other authors who write similar stories. With his Naval and Coast Guard background and clear knowledge of all things nautical, military and chemistry related, readers will find themselves feeling as on they are right there on the deck of the tanker as it sails for the States, and will come away from the book whether they like it or not with a whole new vocabulary of technical terminology.
This book is a must-read but not only for fans of Tom Clancy. There is something here for everyone, from armchair generals to fans of thrillers and those with an interest in international politics. While these aspects will draw readers in, the immersive and detailed prose paired with the intricate and unpredictable narrative will lock them in and keep their pulses pounding down to the final moments.
About the author:
J. Len Sciuto holds a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, FL and an advanced education in Nuclear Chemistry through General Electric for Boiling Water Nuclear Reactors. This book is based on his personal experiences in submarines as a Navigator and as a Maritime Safety and Security Officer and Contingency Planner for the Coast Guard. He is currently working on two additional books. One is the sequel to Tango Down: China Sea called Hades’ Crypt and the second one is The Devil’s Delegation.
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