Book Review: The Identity Factor by James Houston Turner

When you have read enough thrillers, you pretty much expect the twists and turns in the story, as well as most, if not all of the culprits (goes for mysteries, too). Halfway through The Identity Factor by James Houston Turner, you start wondering what the next half will contain as you know which way the story is going, and 100-odd pages to catch even the most elusive criminal are a bit too much, right?

But then, one more thing the thrillers teach you is that it ain't over till the fat lady sings.

An Egyptian businessman finds ancient tablet — uncovered by a British archaeologist in Sinai — in an antiques shop. The tablet is filled with hieroglyphs controversial enough to ignite the most dangerous piece of real estate in Middle East. So the celebrity interviewer Rutherford Tyler has to get the interview of the businessman, and he is preparing a documentary on the tablet amidst vociferous protests and worse reactions.

Meanwhile, the CIA, along with some high-placed politicians, fear an elusive mercenary terrorist called Abu Nazer will use the tablet to fuel chaos and strife, every terrorist's dream. Abu Nazer burst into picture after murdering an American reporter and an Israeli vigilante named Aaron, and is now the most dreaded terrorist operating for money in the world. The CIA has to capture Abu Nazer before the terrorist escapes their net once again. Problem is, nobody has seen Abu Nazer, nor does anybody know whether they are looking for a man or a woman.

So it's upto CIA analyst Zoë Gustaves to identify and thus help the capture. Her only help is a profile created by her, full of holes and gaps. She is aided and abetted in her efforts by her superior Teague, and an office geek, Tony Cooke. But she first has to discover why Tyler wants the interview so badly. Meanwhile, unknown to her, a leak in her office can cause everything to go horribly wrong.

Zoë Gustaves is a rebel with spiked hair, piercings and tattoos. She has some conflicts with her mother, the Congresswoman, and as another Zoe (Carter in “Eureka”... those two should get on famously) would put it, “issues” with “authority” (imagine the appropriate hand gestures here). And although a great analyst, she is also quite impulsive, which leads to leaping before looking quite often. This actually puts her (and others') life in danger more than once. All in all, she is everybody's nightmare field agent.

Article Author: Fleiger

Fleiger is a book-lover by hobby. Favorite genre include fantasy, science fiction, thrillers, mystery, and almost everything you can read.
His books reviews and other thoughts can be found at Lazy Habits.

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