Sideswiped
by JC Ryan
“Sideswiped” is another winner for thriller author JC Ryan. This page-turner is book four of five in the Rex Dalton Series. What keeps me turning pages in this series is my wanting to keep on top and even feel part of the action. Although most exploits here may be believable, the smallest bits are far-fetched but still keep my interest aroused. Though “Sideswiped” is the fourth book in this series, I still feel compelled to do some fact checking on whether certain scenarios might be possible. I've discovered that Ryan uses facts to move his plots along realistically, rather than as extraneous page fillers.
Readers first met protagonist Rex Dalton as a garden-variety college graduate who looks forward to an ordinary-enough life with a government career and his long-time girlfriend as wife and mother of his children. Rather than read the series out-of-order as stand-alone-novels, readers may gain more pleasure by reading in sequence and enjoying Dalton’s character development. I received a review copy of “Sideswiped” from the author, and my review here is unbiased.
A random extremist act flat-out changes Dalton’s career and personal life plans to one of retribution. The desire for cups of coffee safely drew Dalton and his girlfriend away from the Spanish train station where a terrorist bloodbath massacred his waiting mom, dad, and siblings. Dalton begins a career of revenge, killing terrorists.
Ryan’s writing is looser here than in the first book. Dalton is also more open and relaxed. He pursues his interest in visiting historic locations and even takes time to begin thinking about romance. Dalton works with his military-trained dog “Digger,” bequeathed to him by a buddy in book one. Slowly, “Digger” begin to assume an emotional as well as working place in Dalton’s life. He spends enjoyable parts of his day with ‘Digger” who goes almost everywhere with Dalton. Dalton even “swears” that “Digger” can read his mind.
If Ryan’s books had not hooked me with Dalton’s quasi-military exploits, Dalton’s developing relationship with “Digger” would have. The bonding relationship between a military working dog (MWD) and its handler is stronger than that found among most human relationships. Ryan’s bringing this human-canine bonding in as a fundamental part of the series is at the heart of Dalton regaining his humanity. I become fascinated by reading about the developing relationship between Dalton and “Digger,” and Dalton’s exploits in this book, as well as the others, continue to fascinate me.
Action in “Sideswiped” is less pronounced than in Ryan’s preceding books. Dalton enjoys his time in India but precipitously leaves for Thailand after noticing a former dark ops colleague and a woman companion waiting to enter the Taj Mahal. What are the chances for this being a coincidence? Dalton figures the coincidence as near zero and speculates that someone back in the U.S. is still looking for him.
In Thailand, Dalton adds to his life as a tourist by learning the Thai language. He develops a relationship with Sunstra a female language instructor as she guides him through local restaurants and sights. Dalton begins plans for plastic surgery to lose his facial identity. Trouble for Dalton and “Digger” develops as a tsunami hits regional coastline where Sunstra’s parents have a home.
Ryan does a great job of pumping up the reader’s adrenaline as he describes Dalton’s and Digger’s actions during the Tsunami and afterward searches for survivors. Dalton rushes to rescue Sunstra and her parents but is too late to enter the tsunami area. They volunteer to be part of search parties.
Dalton catches up with Kraisee, one of Sunstra’s brothers, and finds her kidnapped. The ransom is that her parents sign over valuable land that they own or Sunstra will die. Dalton meets a second older brother Narong, a medical doctor but formerly a medic on a Thai Seal team, and the reception from him is glacial.
Each of these former military men, Dalton and Narong, wants to call the shots in rescuing Sunstra and apprehending her abductors. Dalton does not want to give up information about his former profession, so he takes the attitude that “if the brothers weren’t going to be of any help, he would do (the operation to rescue Sunstra) it on his own.” Dalton continues to try to change Narong’s rudeness and intrapersonal dynamics.
Dalton begins to work on what he knows best – long shots and painstaking attention to detail. He continues to placate Narong while working out rescue details. Ultimately, Dalton and “Digger” effect Sunstra’s rescue, manage to keep Narong placated, and the three round up the extortionist kidnappers. Dalton, while still contemplating his love life, decides to forgo cosmetic surgery and makes plans to leave Bangkok and Thailand. He prepares for his last restaurant dinner with Sunstra believing he has some surprises for her. However, it is Sunstra that is full of surprises.
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