Intercept, by Patrick Robinson

Review by W.J. Rayment / Conservative Bookstore -- What if a bunch of liberal judges, answering the call of lawyers representing terrorists interned in Guantanamo decided to set the worst of them free because of a lack of due process? What would be the response within the intelligence community and the military? What would happen if the bad guys decided to come back to the U.S. for a major attack?

This is the scenario that plays out in Patrick Robinson's thriller, "Intercept". Four inmates of Guantanamo, who should be locked away for life, are set free by the connivance of the justice system, a couple of lawyers, and al-Qaeda. These are not men who are willing to go home and live out peaceful lives. They are true believers in the jihad against the "Great Satan". When they get home to the mountains along the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan they are already involved in a new plot to attack America and Israel.

All this is quite plausible in the present political climate. Robinson gets inside the terrorists' heads and shows the bleak fallacy of their thoughts and drive. A book must reflect reality in its characterization, or the depiction of events to maintain interest. The book succeeds admirably on this score for most of the story. If there is one area in which the plot seems contrived it is in the U.S. Government's response. Rogue, but patriotic, elements in the CIA, the Navy Seals, and the Mossad join forces to secretly kill the four released jihadists. Interestingly enough, the President is left out of the decision-making process altogether.

Ultimately, one man, an ex-Navy Seal, is chosen to eliminate the jihadists before they can strike again. But the job must be done without anyone knowing of the government involvement because the act would implicate the rogue elements in the government and bring to light a huge violation of the prerogatives of the judiciary. It is a reflection on the state of the nation that an author must take such a convoluted and tortuous course just to conjure a good guy with sufficient resources to take on the al-Qaeda operatives. At this point in history it is believable that the government would be complicit in freeing some of the most dangerous individuals in the world. But it is hard to believe that the good guys could actually muster the wherewithall to pursue them once the deed occurred.

Even so, a hero, fighting the bad guys is absolutely necessary, so it is not the author's fault that a bit of contrivance is in order. Once the reader suspends his belief the plot moves on rapidly, with al-Qaeda proceeding with a new attack and our hero, the Navy Seal, tracking down the jihadists. Robinson's recounting of the process of monitoring al-Qaeda is interesting. The use of cell phone triangulation and surveillance devices has an air of authenticity. The veiled speech used by the jihadists in transmitting instructions seems amateurish. Yet, this might be a reflection of reality.

In all, Intercept is a fun read and typical spy-thriller fare. A good book for a summer evening on the front porch swing waiting for the weather to break.

Intercept by Patrick Robinson is available at Amazon