Click Here To Purchase Under the Cover of Darkness

Author: Duane De Melo

ISBN: 978-1-4620-4585-3

Publisher: iUniverse

It may be wishful thinking, however, wouldn't it be wonderful if the world could get rid of maniacal despots as Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and North Korea's Kim Jong-II, as well as a Muslim terrorist responsible for the death of thousands of Americans? And all of this would be accomplished within the space of four months without causing a war.

This is exactly what Duane De Melo dishes up in his most recent novel Under The Cover of Darkness, which I would succinctly sum up as the anatomy of four assassinations.

On the first page of the book there is an interesting statement mentioning that the Central Intelligence Agency's Publication Review Board did review the manuscript for the book to assist De Melo in eliminating classified information and it poses no security objections to its publication. However, as De Melo interestingly states, “this review should not be construed as an official release of information, confirmation of its accuracy, or an endorsement of the author's views.” De Melo also qualifies the yarn by asserting that all of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue are either products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. However, one wonders if there is at least an inkling of some credibility of some of the logistics described in the novel, as we must not forget that De Melo did serve two tours of duty in Vietnam as a military intelligence adviser, before becoming an operations officer in the CIA.

The cornerstone of the novel's plot revolves around the decision made by the President of the United States to return to the practice of knocking off belligerent elements that pose a threat to the county and its interests, after diplomacy and all else has failed. The old Executive Order that had banned assassinations is now voided, however, it is never publicly acknowledged and nothing appears in any written records. Personnel are moved from the Counterterroist Center and reassigned to the Special Activities Division (SAD). The key however is that the unit will stand alone within the organization although they will use the logistic capabilities of the SAD. Basically, the team would be organized as a single hit team operating along the lines of the Israeli Mossad`s Kidon teams (Kidon is suspected of being behind a number of assassinations in the Operation Wrath of God campaign carried out by Israel after the 1972 Munich massacre). The killings are going to be of the classic shoot and scoot variety-get in and out quickly without being caught.

Among the members of the group are its lead sniper thirty-eight year old Mitch Vasari, who is a CIA operations officer and is extremely independent. He has never been inside the Agency's Langley headquarters because of the sensitivity of his operations, particularly when working against radical Islamic terrorist groups. In fact, only a few senior level officers inside the Agency even know his true name identity. Vasari's cover is working out of Rome as a personnel recruiter. Jack Benson is his superior and Vasari's inside-Agency point of contact. Another key member of the clandestine unit is Gene Claggett, whom Vasari worked with a number of times in the past and who will lead be involved in surveillance and in protecting Vasari. His cover will be that of a photographer. Not to be left out is the beautiful, skillful and talented Puerto Rican woman Gabriela Rivera Torres, a special Forces intelligence operative who has no qualms about killing when necessary which she considers to be something to face in the line of duty. Torres had been trained as a deep cover operative and frequently worked under a business cover.

De Melo does an excellent job describing the preparatory stages, the intricate planning and timing of the assassinations, as well as the unfolding chain of events. Where I felt the novel slipped up was its brief reference to the ethical and moral dilemma of the assassinations, which, in my view, should have been a key ingredient of the novel and thus more fully drawn. And this brings me to the element of conflict, which is always the essence of a good story and which seemed to be underdeveloped in this novel. To have good drama and to sustain interest there must be an emotional charge that usually occurs with individuals squaring off against antagonists either out in the world or within themselves. In Under The Cover of Darkness I did not quite feel this charge with the two principal characters Vasari and Torres. With taking a little more of a chance and work in this department, the story could have been better. Nonetheless, De Melo has still managed to craft an ambitious bloodcurdling thriller, not to mention a read that will surely seduce readers by the intensity of its descriptive and imaginative action scenes.

Click Here To Read Norm's Interview With Duane De Mello