By way of full disclosure – Larry Enmon is a friend. He’s given grand advice on my own work as a fellow member of the DFW Writers Workshop, so yeah, this review might be a bit biased. That said, Larry writes really satisfying old-school thrillers and Biowatch is no exception. Troy Bishop is a solid leading man from the style of Clancy and Co. without being so over the top that the author needs to toss in a bunch of arcane deus ex machina coincidences or gizmos to make the story work.
Enmon has actual experience in the genre he writes about as a former cop and Secret Service agent, so he doesn’t necessarily need to invent wild “take over the world” villians or bizarre James Bond plotlines. Simple human reasons are enough for the antagonist to carry a grudge that could wipe out the West Coast. Since we now live in a world where billionaires have rocket factories and control entire media empires, seeing how a person of means working with a nation-state to harm America and create a massive deadly event is just a little too chilling. And Enmon pulls it off well while ticking all the boxes one should in this genre – Is there a good looking girl as Bishop’s counterpart in the operation? Check. Governments that are hamstrung by politics, leaving our hero to his own devices? Check. Overwhelming odds and dangerously smart bad guys? Check. A few red herrings and plot twists to keep the reader guessing? Check.
The straightforward writing style makes Biowatch easy to get into and before you’re too far in, you’re hooked as the clock steadily ticks down to a deadly confrontation.