Bill Harlow
Autor(a) de Circle William
About the Author
Bill Harlow is a former White House, Pentagon, and CIA spokesman.
Obras por Bill Harlow
Associated Works
Etiquetado
Conhecimento Comum
- Nome canónico
- Harlow, Bill
- Data de nascimento
- 1950-05-30
- Sexo
- male
- Educação
- Villanova University
- Ocupações
- naval officer
public affairs officer [for the CIA]
writer - Organizações
- Central Intelligence Agency
U.S. Navy
Membros
Críticas
Prémios
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Associated Authors
Estatísticas
- Obras
- 3
- Also by
- 2
- Membros
- 81
- Popularidade
- #222,754
- Avaliação
- 3.4
- Críticas
- 3
- ISBN
- 6
The plot depends on Libya acting in a manner spectacularly contrary to its own best interests, and is driven by a breathtaking string of coincidences, lucky breaks, and characters doing stupid things for no good reason. The characterization is two-dimensional and off-the-rack: the cowboy destroyer captain, the cigar-chomping air force general, the steel-magnolia CIA director, the predatory blonde reporter, the windbag cabinet official. Scenes that should have been exciting set-pieces (a SEAL team's infiltration of Libya, for example) fall flat because Harlow either doesn't know how to write movement and action, or doesn't want to. He has a fair ear for bantering dialogue, but too often slips into the trap of having his characters lecture one another because he wants the audience to listen in.
Some of this is forgivable -- Harlow is a first-time novelist, and first novels are (or ought to be) allowed rough spots. Good first novels, though, have have enough going on beneath the rough surfaces to make you want to forgive the rough spots, and read on -- to find out what happens, to spend more time with the characters, or to absorb more insider-level detail. Circle William," unfortunately, is all surface and no payoff underneath. It has little to offer any experienced reader of naval or political thrillers.… (mais)