Book reviews

The Phoenix Pact
Michael Hartmann Book Review

Read a book review online (click here to search reviews)
Books Movies  
Sci-Fi/Fantasy Mystery/Thriller Literature Romance Biography Video
Michael Hartmann Books
New book search
Michael Hartmann Message Board
Get more information about this book
Plot Summary of The Phoenix Pact
"Reluctant arms dealer Mike Keats, working out of Hong Kong for Hungarian born business partner, Joe Rakosi, finds himself entangled in a disguised web of deceit, lies and corruption, when he is offered a deal to buy arms for Hungarian interests.

The deal takes him to Mozambique and Vietnam where he is leading a team to bring up a gold cache sunk in wartime Vietnam. To his shock the "gold story " turns out to be a wider Russian plot to use a bio-weapon against the Mujahedeen in Afganistan, by a corrupt criminal clique involving Russian big-shots and an equally corrupt Vietnam crooked official. Mike has to rush against time to save the Mujahedeen before the weapon is unwittingly unleashed in their midst.
The plot explodes in a furious twist when it turns out that the bio-weapon was actually actually made in the US for use against the Vietnamese army during the war. Time is against Mike as he and some CIA agents have to intercept the weapon before it is used by the Russians."

Goodwill Mathonsi, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of The Phoenix Pact
Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot

Composition of Book
descript. of violence and chases - 30%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 30%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 20%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 20%




Tone of story - very upbeat
Time/era of story: - 1960's-1970's
Spying/Terrorism Thriller Yes
Cloak & Dagger Plotlets: - preventing bomb/biohazard/disaster
Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Who's the terrorist enemy here? - commies!
Search for technology? - bioweapon/cure

Main Character
Gender - Male
Profession/status: - small businessman
Age: - 40's-50's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events? Yes
How much violence does he/she use? - just the right amount
Ethnicity/Race - British
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - very athletic

Main Adversary
Identity: - an organization
Age: - long-lived adults
Profession/status: - mastermind
Eccentric: Yes - obsessed
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a moderate amount
Motive of antagonist - power
The antagonists are: - communists
How sensitive is this character? - hard edged
Sense of humor - Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - average physique

Setting
Europe Yes
European country: - Eastern Europe
Asia/Pacific Yes
Asian country: - Russia - Southeast Asia
Africa Yes
Part of Africa: - Black Africa

Style
Person - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - moderately detailed references to deaths
How many deaths? - 8 or more
Sex Yes
What kind of sex: - descript of kissing - touching of anatomy - licking - actual description of sex - descript. of breasts - descript. of other female areas
A lot of techno jargon? Yes
Kind of jargon? - military technology
Unusual forms of death - perforation--bullets
Unusual form of death? Yes
Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
Most similar books to The Phoenix Pact
The Secret Ways by Alistair MacLean
On Her Majesty's Secret Service by Ian Fleming
Thunderball by Ian Fleming
Secret Ways by Alistair MacLean
The Elusive Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman


Click here for more information about this book


Michael Hartmann Resident Scholar Profiles

TOP SCHOLAR:
  
Goodwill Mathonsi  

SCHOLARS:


Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).
Three ways to search for Thriller/Action books!

1) One-click plot searches! Simply click on a plot or subplot below!

Big vehicle disaster?

Crime Thriller

Disaster, natural or nuclear

Exploring into the wild

Horror Story?

Legal Thriller

Medical Thriller

Religious overtones?

Spying/Terrorism Thriller

War Thriller

Water adventure

Western



or 2) Simple lookup
(title or author)

or
3) Even more search options available with a Detailed Booksearch (click here)

Use our site!
17 FREE Sci-Fi Ebooks!
FREE "How to be happy" Ebook!
Feedback


Most recent discussions:

General Book Talk
Book writing discussion
Off-topic message board
Suzanne Weyn 10:35:23 PM
George W. Bush 5:33:46 PM
Kin Platt 12:58:29 AM
Anonymous 12:47:34 PM
Lilian Jackson Braun 10:05:52 PM
Jane Rubino 10:04:38 PM
LaVyrle Spencer 10:04:00 PM
G.A. McKevett 10:03:31 PM
David Williams 10:03:01 PM
Steven Pressfield 10:02:30 PM
Jeanette Walls 10:00:19 PM
Darryl Ponicsan 9:59:27 PM
Ann Rinaldi 9:58:30 PM
R.L. Stine 9:57:34 PM
Geoffrey Huntington 9:57:14 PM
Betty Mahmoody 9:56:38 PM
Deric Longden 9:56:11 PM
Mary Downing Hahn 9:55:48 PM
Iris Johansen 9:55:24 PM
Marlo Morgan 9:54:58 PM

More message boards