Book Description:
"This is a goddamn big story. It'll make those jerks at the Post look like idiots and Watergate look like a cop taking an apple off a fruit stand."
It's 1972. The Watergate scandal has Washington on edge and Putnam, a Vietnam veteran and courier for one of the capital's leading television stations, is trying to get his life back together after his nightmarish ordeal in the war. Racing at breakneck speed through the streets of the capital, he not only intends to be the best courier in the business, he also intends to escape the demons that haunt him. But when Rick picks up film from a news crew interviewing a government worker with a hot story, his life begins to unravel as everyone involved in the story dies within hours of the interview and Rick realizes he is the next target.
Enlisting the aid of friends who have discovered a way to hack into the government's computer databases, and a beautiful young Indian Rights activist, Eva Buffalo Calf, Rick races full throttle through the streets of the nation's capital to stay ahead of his pursuers as he searches for answers. When he discovers the killings have been orchestrated by a rogue CIA agent and his team of assassins, Rick isn't surprised when his road to the truth leads directly to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
My Thoughts:
Courier is Terry Irving's debut novel and it is fantastic. I would describe it as a Historical Political Thriller being set in 1972. Rick is trying to get his life together after serving in Vietnam and being injured. He takes a job as a courier for a major television station in Washington D.C. where he picks up and delivers tape and pictures for the news casts. Rick picks up some film from a crew interviewing a government worker with a huge story, but what he doesn't know is that this will be the last time he sees this crew. They don't show up to do the news that evening and they found out all of them are dead. Rick goes on another pick up and is being chased through the city. At this point he realizes he is next. With help of his computer hacker roommates and a Rights Activist he tries to stay ahead of the people who want him dead to find out who it is behind all of this. As they dig deeper, they find that a rogue CIA agent and a team of professional assassins are after him and what he needs to know is at the White House.
Courier is Terry Irving's first published work of fiction. As a huge fan of debut writers and Historical Fiction this book caught my attention. I love reading about Watergate and Vietnam since it had such a profound affect on our country. Being born in 1974, I only know what I learned in school about these events. I have family who served in Vietnam War so to have the chance to learn more about it was great. Terry Irving uses his real life experience in the news world as a courier and then as writer and producer in the news industry to put write this wonderful story. This book is a fast paced thriller that once I started it, I could not put it down. The twists and turns throughout the book kept me guessing until the end. As I read this story I felt like I was there watching the events unfold in front of me. I found myself holding my breath during the action in this book. I also found myself laughing out loud in parts especially the interactions between the main characters. This book is a perfect blend of fact and fiction. I feel like I learned many things about this time period I didn't know before, especially about Washington D.C. at that time and the Vietnam War. The book does have a little bit of strong language but it does NOT take away from the book, to me it added to the authenticity of the time period. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Historical Political Thrillers, you won't be disappointed. I have found another must read author to my list! I cannot wait to read more from Terry Irving! I give this book 5 STARS. Thank you JKS Communications for the opportunity to read and review this book!
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