Reveiw of Untitled Thriller by Cryptic Bindings

This review was written to the point of Chapter 16 and 17 being published. Untitled Thriller is a once a week ongoing serial hosted by Cryptic Bindings at http://www.crypticbindings.com. It is a very well written and engaging thriller that keeps the reader coming back to complete the cliffhangers each and every week.

The story centers around the research department for a university in Seattle and the suspected misuse funds for other project by a scientist named Raj Gupta. Each chapter is told from the perspective of a rotating cast of characters including Nick, the unhappy paper editor; Morgan, a college student and Nick’s lover; Michel Renoir, the department chair; Jeff Pepper, the impulsive billionaire funding the research; and Tim, the terrorist. Pepper visits the research center concerned that it is being used to create something less scrupulous than a machine to deliver vaccines by air. Chaos reigns supreme after Pepper arrives as a team of terrorists take over the research part of the facility in order to get their hands on whatever Gupta has created. Things go from bad to worse as everything doesn’t go according to plan. A bullet and some cool explosions later, finds many of the main characters in trouble and the situation growing worse by the minute.

The author does an excellent job in creating his characters. They seem alive on the page, well, screen, complex and well rounded. He explores with acute introspection the tangles of relationships and the often inane life of an office worker while at the same time managing to put it in all into perspective once the poo hits the fan. The plot moves very well between character introspection and great action scenes.

The biggest thing that I have been happy to see is his approach to the terrorists. So far they have appeared more complex than just your average flat evil villain terrorist possibly from the Middle East. They are described as very American looking, one is even blond, but the author has dropped hints that position them in my mind as from Palestine with words such as ‘infidel’ and their desire to prevent people from taking their homeland. Whatever their nationality, I hope that the author continues to develop them and show that they are human, not great people, but ones that don’t indict a whole nation.

I have found very little to critique about the novel. The chapter titles vary between very effective to slightly distracting and though the plot moves, I want it to move faster. Possibly that is the side effect of really focusing on creating great characters (if it is, it’s worth it) or it is the effect of good writing and me pining each week for a new chapter. I heartily recommend this thriller to anyone looking for a good action novel, interested in reading about relationship dynamics, or if they have that office job (and want to see what happens to all the people they hate when bad guys come a knocking).