Book Review - Signs of War by Gerard de Marigny

Book Review

Signs of War (Cris de Niro Book 2)

by Gerard de Marigny

About the Author

With his bestselling debut political thriller, THE WATCHMAN OF EPHRAIM, Gerard de Marigny has burst upon the literary world stage with vigor and poise! Founding JarRyJorNo Publishing in January 2011, de Marigny dons many hats, that of publisher, graphic designer, marketer, as well as author. The result, so far, has been a sparkling debut novel that became a #1 Amazon Bestselling Geopolitical Thriller! BOOK II of de Marigny's CRIS DE NIRO series, SIGNS OF WAR was released in November 2011 and the author is already at work writing BOOK III, RISE TO THE CALL due out in spring 2012. 

In July '11, de Marigny sat down for an up-close and personal interview with talented Director Philip Norbert of Kingmaker Productions. Shot by famed Cinematographer Jay Nemeth of Flightline Films, the Q&A session has garnered over 10,000 viewers on YouTube, in only its first three months.

In his youth, de Marigny was the lead guitarist for 80's rock band, AMERICADE. Though the last lineup of the band broke up in 1995, de Marigny was approached by Aaron McCaslin, President of Retrospect Records, a label dedicated to promoting heavy rock bands from the 80's, offering a record contract. The result has become a remarkable 70-song, 4-CD boxed set branded, AMERICADENCE: 1980 ~ 1995 (which includes unreleased recordings) bringing back to life the entire musical catalog of AMERICADE."

Gerard de Marigny currently resides in the beautiful foothills surrounding Las Vegas, NV with his wife Lisa and their four sons. When he's not writing his novels, you'll find him bending an arm at a local pub with friends.

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Book Description

Former hedge fund manager, billionaire Cris De Niro and his new counter-terrorism firm, The Watchman Agency just prevented a nuclear attack on the city of Las Vegas, but not without cost. Charley Santappia, the Agency's Vice President of Operations sacrificed his life to save the city. While at Santappia's funeral, a remorse-filled De Niro announces to his shocked staff that he needs to decide whether he wants to continue with their mission.

In front of Santappia's coffin, the squad leaders of The Watchman Agency's paramilitary arm, ARCHANGEL, decide to raise one last toast to their fallen commander. They're joined by a 'small man dressed in black' who is something of a legend to members of the Special Forces. A Delta Forces hero turned rogue operative, respected as much as he was feared ... enter Scipio, a very different type of warrior, but could he be the one to replace Santappia?

Back at The Watchman Agency's headquarters, undercover CIA agent Felix Salazar shows up with a problem he brings to his old boss from Langley now the Agency's V.P. of Intelligence Services, Michelle Wang. Salazar is convinced that Venezuela has just received a shipment of Iranian medium-range missiles and he thinks he's tracked the missiles to a Venezuelan port closest to the United States. De Niro and company decide to get involved, sending Salazar back to Venezuela to investigate with a fire team from ARCHANGEL as backup.

There is also more strange activity at the border. Soldiers of Tuco Ramirez's Pacifico Drug Cartel have been infiltrating en masse onto the Tohono O'odham reservation. This time, Bryan Ahiga head of the legendary DHS/ICE Shadow Wolves doesn't have his border patrol unit to patrol the tribal lands, so he asks De Niro if his team could lend a hand.

At the same time, De Niro is contacted by his old friend, David Nicholls. The usually incorrigible British playboy is frantic. He just found out that his dear friends were kidnapped by Somali pirates aboard their yacht, and he wants De Niro and his people to rescue them. De Niro is hesitant to offer assistance, but Scipio proposes to take care of it, as long as he can borrow Santana, De Niro's newly battle-equipped mega-yacht and her crew. The Watchman Agency is spread thin and, once again, on their own!

Cris De Niro & The Watchman Agency return to deal with Somali pirates, an imminent threat from an Iranian/Venezuelan alliance and a Mexican drug cartel's plot of immense proportions. These are the SIGNS of WAR ...

             

I dedicated the book to Seal Team Six, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” (John 15:13)

Book Review
I eagerly awaited the second instalment of the Watchman Agency and Cris de Niro and I was hooked and enthralled within the first few pages.  Gerard de Marigny has now matched my other favourite author Lee Child and the Jack Reacher series.

The Watchman Agency receive a tip off that the Mexican drug cartel are planning to wipe out the 'Shadow Wolves' border control in order to have a direct route to the USA for drug running.  De Niro feels obliged to help due to the Shadow Wolves help in previous successes in The Watchman of Ephraim.  The agency face an added problem, the drug cartel have paid government officials to help them.  The corrupt officers have taken over the Shadow Wolves reservation and imprisoned all the inhabitants.  Can De Niro and his men take back the reservation, stop the drug cartel with government help and upsetting the political situation between Mexico and the USA.  Please remember the Watchman Agency is an independent organisation, funded by Cris de Niro and have no official status in the law, they were set up to prevent another 9/11 attack on the USA.

While the agency are busy with the Shadow Wolves, Cris is asked for help by the man who made him all of his money to help rescue some hostages from Somalian Pirates.  Can the agency release the hostages safely.  The agency also need to prevent a shipment of missiles to Venezuela, where backed by a rich Iranian they want to sail up close to the American Coast, launch the missiles and destroy the USA.  The Watchman Agency is stretched to the limit, can De Niro, with all his resources, succeed?

The author brings to life the issues and threats that the modern world face and dominance of world power certain segments desire.  This is an excellent novel, the emotions that the author draws from the reader are unbelievable.  The scenes and characters are described not just in appearance but what they are thinking and feeling, this is why I rate the book highly.  I am eagerly awaiting BOOK III, RISE TO THE CALL.

Although this is the second book it could be read on its own due to the fact that the author explains and links it very well in the first chapter to the first novel, The Watchman of Ephraim, enabling the reader catch up on events.

Our Rating