Beyond a few quibbles like this, however, Garber has managed to create an engaging protagonist, a likeable female foil, and a story that features multiple doublecrosses, competing plots, and excellent pacing. The book really rattles along at something approximating Mach 3 or so most of the time, only taking a brief pause when Charlie is badly injured at the start of what one might consider to be "Act Three." And for those fearing that Charlie is nothing more than a knight in shining armor, sent to save poor young Irina, let me dissuade you of that misconception now: Irina is, I think, an exceptionally strong female character, one who must overcome not merely physical obstacles but mental ones as well. Were she a "weak sister," as it were, I think the novel would not work; as it stands, it succeeds most because of the dynamics between its two leads: the aging veteran looking for revenge and the young woman looking to prove herself, ultimately to herself.

In Charlie, I think Garber managed to create a more human version of Sherlock Holmes, a man of emotion and conviction who simultaneously operates without illusion about the cold reality of the world around him. In Whirlwind, I think he created a fun, fascinating roller coaster ride of a tale, a whiplash-inducing novel that makes for excellent escapist reading.