Echelon, Somebody's Listening

Jack O'Neill
Word Association Publishers 2005
ISBN 159571071X
 Reviewed by Ellen Hogan for Reader Views (6/06)


We've all heard the phrase "big brother is watching". Well, in this book "big brother is listening". It all starts with 9/11 and then into post 9/11 wiretapping and eavesdropping. The book is full of colorful characters. To name a few: Michael Stone is a CIA agent on loan to the FBI, Carolyn Hughes used to work for the Justice Department and now works for Taylor & Associates, Jose Valderama is the head of a money laundering cartel, Janet Griffin is a real estate agent and Carolyn's best friend and former college roommate and Taro Okada works for Miami-Dade PD.

Michael Stone is good at ferreting out information from intercepted communications. That is the job he is doing for the FBI. He starts getting strange intercepts about Jose Valderama and his people, namely one Gonzalo who has gone missing. Around this time Carolyn Hughes leaves her job at the Justice Department and goes to work for Taylor & Associates. Her first assignment is to find out all she can about a business called Bauer Industries in Florida. She hops the next plane and ends up at Janet's house. She has a meeting with both Gil Bauer and his father Charles. Charles lets her know that he is not interested in merging with Taylor.

Carolyn is supposed to go to a party with Janet to Doug Crosby's house, who is Valderama's son. But after obtaining the quarterly report for Bauer she decides to head back to Washington. Janet and her daughter Natalie, however attend the party. Natalie thinks the guesthouse is a doll house and one of the other party goers takes her over to see it. They find a bunch of clothing on the floor. In amongst the clothing Natalie finds a game disk and takes it.

Carolyn and her boss fly back to Florida after his reading the report. They meet with Gil Bauer and he decides to take them on a trip through the Everglades. Carolyn begs off and plans to visit Doug Crosby and question him about his interest in Bauer. While on the boat trip Jack Taylor is abducted.  While at Crosby's home Carolyn meets Taro Okada who comes to question Crosby about his missing car and Gonzalo. Meanwhile communications are flying fast and furiously about the whereabouts of not only Gonzalo but of the disk that has all Valderama's accounts on it.

Back in Washington Michael Stone is trying to piece all the players and communications into some order. Finally they call Carolyn Hughes in and ask her and Taro what is going on. They figure out that a hired assassin is after Natalie who they realize has taken the missing disk. You have to read the book to find out what happens.

This book is fast paced and a thrill a minute. The author did an excellent job with his subject matter. You don't want to put the book down until you have read every word. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good book of action and intrigue.

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