Review: "The Osiris Alliance" by Jack Ford

The Osiris Alliance, by Jack Ford

Hardcover: 304 pages
Publisher: Ovation Books (April 1, 2009)
ISBN-10: 0981453457

The Burton Review Rating: 3 stars

Summary:
"In 'The Osiris Alliance' federal prosecutor Adam Stark and journalist Megan Delaney learn of a stolen journal containing surprising links to the infamous Lindbergh baby trial that may reveal answers to the nuclear arms puzzle. As the journal's powerful owner tries desperately to retrieve it, witnesses involved with the case begin turning up dead. Racing to find the journal and solve the nuclear mystery, Stark and Delaney are confronted with a series of murders and a betrayal that could make them the next victims."

Reading this new crime novel gave me the feeling I was reading a Law and Order episode. It quickly got me involved in the mystery of a certain diary belonging to a certain old, birdlike man.. (the bird comparison was drilled into my head). The prosecutor Adam Stark meets the reporter Megan Delaney and together they follow clues to the case which involves government cover-ups, conspiracies and Russian thugs. The most intriguing part of the novel was the occasional flashback to the 1932 Charles Lindbergh's baby kidnapping case.

The Osiris Alliance refers to the Osiris company who is providing weapons to other countries, and the crime team needs to uncover who is behind all of the wheeling and dealing, without getting their friends killed in the meantime. It is fast paced and is a quick read, perfect for a weekend to unravel the political abyss.

This is a debut novel, and there were a few quirks to the writing that bothered me, but nothing that cannot be fixed in later works hopefully. There were not enough characters in the book to try and make me suspicious of one versus the other; the main suspect in the end I had pegged from the first introduction of him. The whole of the book read like a basic novel, there was not anything earth shattering or incredibly suspenseful for this to accurately depict a thriller, and the romance between the two main characters was a bit forced, there was no overt chemistry. It just did not seem like the rough Army guy Adam would fall for the first pretty girl he meets but she gets hurt and he all of a sudden feels he must love her. Maybe. I don't know.. they didn't get deep into Adam's feelings of that nature, only the ones that angered him. There were no real twists and no real thrills, but the mystery itself was intriguing surrounding the Lindbergh connection and that alone makes me wonder to the validity of the government cover-up in reality. I have complained in the past about books flipping back and forth in time periods, but for this one I am impressed with the ease of the transitions, although the pages of italic print did annoy me. Despite the minor setbacks, this was a page turner with an interesting backstory, and could be mistaken for a Law & Order episode, minus a degree or two of drama. If Jack wrote another one I would pick it up.

About the Author, Jack Ford:
Does the name Jack Ford ring a bell? Well THIS Jack Ford (not related to Gerald) is an Emmy and Peabody Award-winning television news anchor at NBC, ABC and Court TV. He is working on "In Session" now on TruTV and has done a lot of things in his professional career to fill up my whole blog post. Successful author? Time will tell! (And I think his friends wrote the two 5 star reviews on Amazon.. ssshhhhh... I didn't just say that.. but wondering where in the world my fave Amazon reviewer Harriet is?)

Recognize these two? They just work together by the way. Gosh I'll just stop now, I am feeling snarky today.