Dirty Money

Clarion Rating: 4 out of 5

James writes with an easy style and fast pace, making Dirty Money a fitting military thriller to take on the go for some good light reading.

Jonathon Price is not only former military, but he was once the best black ops operator in Afghanistan. Enjoying retirement in San Diego, his last thought is to go out and kill again. However, when his grandfather dies, he is left with a puzzle to solve. If he fails, the entire economy could be plunged into a depression that it may not be able to recover from. Dirty Money by William James is a fast-paced book that takes the cast of characters all over the globe in an effort to stop a terror threat that has gone under the radar of US government.

William Price, Jonathon’s grandfather, was extremely wealthy and cunning. When he knew he wouldn’t be able to thwart a potentially devastating terror plot before his death, he set up a group of international experts that would aid Jonathon in completing the mission. Jonathon is given a metal box, an untraceable phone, and an unending source of funds. With the help of his team, he must figure out how to stop Islamic terrorists, Chinese gangs, and seedy bankers from bringing down the world economy.

While the promise of thrill comes right away in the first chapter, the follow through comes up short. Everything is too easy and too perfect to elicit much feeling. Jonathon’s world consists of a team with an expert in every field imaginable who are also fluent in multiple languages; a blank check to set up command posts anywhere in the world; an arsenal of specialized weaponry; advanced spy technology and hacking abilities; and bumbling adversaries. Roadblocks are quickly and easily overcome with little to no losses. Even the supposedly enigmatic puzzles his grandfather leaves are quickly deciphered.

The plot itself is exciting, and the story moves along quite well due to excellent dialogue. However, there is little in the way of character development other than the superficial descriptions of the beauty of women, even one having “curves in all the right places.” Little is revealed about Jonathon himself, other than a brief synopsis of his background with seemingly no long-term ill effects of his torture in Afghanistan.

Settings are not described in detail other than the name of a city or five star hotel, and the clean-up of the increasing body count is washed over. With little background of the characters given and meager amounts of suspense, it is difficult to get emotionally involved and feel the excitement and thrill this book could have readily achieved.

James writes with an easy style and fast pace, making Dirty Money a fitting choice to take on the go for some good light reading.

Reviewed by Shannan Spitz

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.

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