Red Chaos, The Red Hotel, Book 3, Edwin Fuller, Gary Grossman, authors
In the publishing world of international intrigue, there are two writers that excel above most others. Fuller and Grossman have captured an audience that awaits eagerly, the next book in the “Red Hotel” series. Their novels are prescient and filled with details that are not extraneous like in so many books today, simply to fill up pages. Their stories are so well-researched that they play out as if they are written in the current news cycle. The books do have romance, sex, violence and foul language, but the use of these themes is never simply to titillate, rather they are crucial to the action exploding on the page. I love this series. It uses well developed characters and current events to paint a very realistic picture of the world we live in and couples that with the awesome, possible consequences of ignoring the warnings to our national security, warnings that we are witnessing everyday around us. Yes, these books are novels, they are fiction, but let’s hope they do not become reality because we fail to see the clues that Dan Reilly trains so hard to recognize, in order to prevent disaster.
Although I read this book slowly at first, trying to make the most of it, trying to make it last, three quarters of the way through I was helpless. There was just no way I could put it down, and I read through the night, until the wee hours of the morning to finish it. It did not disappoint me. If you are on blood pressure meds, make sure you take them. The tension is palpable as Dan Reilly, the President of the International Kensington Royal Hotel Corporation, is horrified to discover that a murder has taken place in their London hotel. The Hotel Group is hosting an oil conference and the possibility of the murder being related to that is growing, as it is discovered that the man murdered was an important guest at the conference. Soon, another murder takes place in Nairobi at one of their hotels, and again, it is an executive attending the oil conference. Reilly anticipates where the next attack will take place, and he flies to the hotel in Beijing to prevent it. Will he be correct and successful? Are the hotels being targeted? Are the executives and leaders of the oil industry and executives of various countries the target? Is Dan Reilly the target? If any of these scenarios are true, who is the villain?
These murders are not occurring in a vacuum. At the same time, oil trade routes are being destroyed around the world. A tanker on the Suez Canal explodes and burns. It drifts and sinks. The Canal will be blocked long-term, until repairs can be made. Is it an accident, or is it sabotage? When there is another shipping accident in the Strait of Hormuz, blocking another oil route, more questions arise. Who is behind these attacks if they turn out not to be accidents? Then an incident at the Panama Canal cuts off traffic there too. Each event seems to point at another guilty country possibly being the culprit, trying to gain control of the lucrative oil market. How far will this go? The USS Hartford was tracking the Russian submarine, the Admiral Kashira, when it suddenly disappeared from Sonar in waters close to New England. Where was it, and why was it hiding? Was there now the possibility of a Russian attack on New England?

In America, the former President Alexander Crowe has stepped down and the Vice President has assumed the office. He must pick a Vice President to replace himself. Will that person, Senator Moakley Davidson, be good for the country or good for the selfish goals of the newly appointed, naïve President Ryan Battaglio who appears arrogant and weak to the enemies of America. He seems to be someone easily played, and so America’s enemies seeking greater power and to remove America from the position of superpower, begin to plot to take advantage of the flaws in the government. Will they be able to compromise the newly appointed President Battaglio? Will those patriots loyal to the former President be able to instruct him and lead him to common sense, informed decisions, or will he throw out all those with experience and install rubber stamp, flunkies?

Havoc reigns around the world as shipping traffic is compromised and comes to a halt with each “accident”. Some economies are doomed to fail as they no longer are able to ship their product, and fingers point at each other with little proof of which country is behind the havoc created. Who stands to gain the most from these disastrous incidents? Is it Russia, China, Iran, North Korea? The list is long. However, those in the know, know that Russia needs money. Russia gets that money from China. China needs oil. They wash each other’s hands. To accomplish this goal of expanding its empire and improving its economy with oil revenue, Russia must control the northern oil shipping route. Which countries would happily join Russia to accomplish this? Is it China? You may be surprised to learn who the complicit culprits are. Will they be the usual suspects?
As Dan Reilly attempts to protect his hotels and their guests, he becomes a target, as well. Why is he a target, you ask? Well, if you read the book, you will discover the reason. You will also learn who wins this fight, that surprisingly causes so much disaster in only a few short weeks, and you will watch an unusual event usher in the unique conclusion, a conclusion that will surely have historic implications. Actually, is there a real winner at the end? Is the door open for Book 4. I sure hope Book 4 is coming.