Fiction/Action/Adventure
Palawan
C. D. Williams
Author House
ISBN 1-4259-1640-6
2006
246 pages
Soft cover $15.99
The rescue of two young captives on the remote island of Palawan leads to a hunger for revenge by the leader of a terrorist group who follows his victims from Manila to Las Vegas in search of satiation. In Palawan, first time novelist C. D. Williams illustrates the reach of terror as it extends beyond politics and religion into the personal.
Lisa Sutton is a new college graduate who has accepted a missionary internship on Palawan, a sparsely inhabited island in the Philippine archipelago, run by a reverend and his wife. One evening Lisa is abducted along with her sponsors and a young man named Marty, who came to the island to dive with his friends. The kidnappers are members of the Abu Sayyaf, a terrorist group with connections to Al Qaeda. Once the captives are secured in a remote village, the group’s leader, Commander Omar Ali Hassan, releases a video of the four and makes demands to the Philippine and United States governments in exchange for their lives.
This book cannot be read without recalling news clips of captives in Iraq over the last few years. Through his characters, the author provides a realistic depiction of the fear and anguish real-life victims must have experienced. There is also a frightening characterization of an Al Qaeda devotee in Commander Omar Ali: He becomes obsessed with his goals of destruction and credits every violent success to Allah.
Williams creates scenes in vivid detail. Most appealing are the descriptions of the tropical forests of Palawan and the fire power used by both the good and bad guys. Equally intriguing are the violent death scenes that, initially, catch the reader by surprise and, like the mangled remains of a fiery car accident, demand a second glance. After their rescue, the youngest victims start a business and a life together, but learn that they are still not safe. As Marty and Lisa take steps to protect themselves, the author continues to paint meticulous pictures that, on occasion, move a little too fast and tell a little too much too soon. A slower pace would have had readers in a tizzy by the time the glorious ending was reached.
Palawan is filled to the hilt with action, military history, and true- to-life terror. Williams has accomplished a solid first effort and clearly has the talent and capacity to achieve success as a writer.
Melissa Levine
For Independent Professional Book Reviewers
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