Standard
III – Cult of Death is the third installment in the
suspense/thriller series featuring MI6 agent William Shanahan and operative
Jack Gawain. It picks up where Standard
II leaves off, with Jack Gawain and his new sweetheart Lucretia Carcosa
enjoying a hiatus in Greenwich Village. Only the CIA have determined their
whereabouts and bring them in for a briefing. They are given the option of
deploying to Iraq in a search-and-destroy mission against the Islamic State of
Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Under threat of prosecuting Lucretia as the Black
Queen of the Citadel, the couple reluctantly agree.
On the European front, William Shanahan’s turbulent
marriage with Morgana Mc Laren results in his enrollment in Operation Death
Cult. He is teamed with MI6 assassin Jessica Anderson and deployed to Iraq in
an investigation of reported chemical weapons being stockpiled by ISIS (Islamic
State of Iraq and ash Sham). They are assigned to work alongside Glenn Frantz
and Debbie Cantor, American expatriates working for the Mossad. Shanahan and
Frantz pose as American Muslims volunteering to join the jihadist forces in the
region. Debbie and Jessica work undercover beneath Islamic veils, negotiating
the misogynistic society in trying to infiltrate the infrastructure. It is not
long before Jack and Lucretia make contact, and it results in a powerhouse team
going head-to-head with the vanguard of a global caliphate.
Once again the focus is the heart and soul of
Western civilization as New York, London and Tel Aviv are the targets of ISIS’
biological attack. Grand Ayatollah Qom Diabolus has assembled a death squad of
foreign mercenaries who have been charged with masterminding the terror
operation. Lucretia counters by reuniting the members of her disbanded Citadel
in taking on the Hammer of Allah. Yet the women are as much in danger of death
as their male counterparts, who are faced with the possibility of discovery and
a grisly execution at every corner.
The series continues to explore the geopolitical
ramifications of mainstream issues as the United States remains the target of
extremists determined to undermine the core of Western civilization. We see how
the United Kingdom is drawn into these conflicts as America’s most important
ally. Israel becomes the ultimate objective as the terrorists are sworn to
capturing Jerusalem and annihilating the Jewish state. There is also the
narrative discussing the conflict between Sunni and Shiite Muslims as well as
the Kurdish tribes who populate the region defining Syria and Iraq as well as
neighboring Iran. The agents deal with the problem of interacting between the
factions while not alienating any of the parties involved. Only they, like the
native population, realize that to get caught on the wrong side can result in
sudden death.
The precarious partnership between Shanahan and
Gawain is rekindled as they realize how effective they are as a team. Yet they
are forced to make room for Glenn, who fits somewhere in between by-the-book
Shanahan and the chaotic Gawain. This is mirrored by their female counterparts
as the ruthless Lucretia and the volatile Jessica find balance in the presence of
the cerebral, calculating Debbie. Both threesomes join forces in an all-out
effort to end the extremist threat before it can paralyze the world entire.
This is a non-stop rollercoaster ride careening out
of tomorrow’s headlines. For suspense fans and thriller fans alike, Standard
III – Cult of Death is one you won’t forget.
