State of Terror, by John Brown

American citizens have seen a drastic increase in the surveillance of themselves by police and government. Supposedly this is all done in the name of “Homeland Security” and fighting crime. Cameras on street corners, license plate readers on police cars, mass collection of your emails, phone calls, and websites visited. Even the United States Postal Service now photographs every single letter and package sent through its offices. What if it’s all taken to the next level? That’s the frightening premise of State of Terror, by John Brown from Fire Fighter Books (Amazon link). With a fast moving plot, this story plunges you into a nightmare America where you can be detained indefinitely, with no right to counsel or trial.

Tom Benson holds a high-level position in a multinational banking concern. He is a veteran and a patriot. He is also being monitored by the Civilian National Security Force, a secretive governmental agency that seemingly only answers to itself. Some of Benson’s actions and contacts have raised eyebrows. He is taken by force and imprisoned, tortured relentlessly, and offered release only if he agrees to confess to things he never did.

State of Terror has plenty of action to keep you turning pages. More than that, though, is the realization that it all could happen; that we citizens and our politicians are letting it happen. I don’t like to give spoilers, but I can tell you that there is a wonderful, body-slamming plot twist near the end. This is definitely a thriller with a sage warning imbedded within it.

 


1 Comment

  1. Too many flashbacks. This made the plot incoherent. There were times that the book seemed to drag on, and there were times when it was decent. All in all, I don’t think it was that great of a book, even though the basis of the story was possible.

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