When Vincent Fazio's only son is killed during Desert Storm by friendly fire, he swears revenge on the military and the commander-in-chief for the horrific mistake. But as a former CIA operative and multimillionaire truck magnate, Vince is in the scary position to follow through on his threat. He envisions and hires a genius computer programmer to help him build two massive machines of destruction: two mammoth, self-driven 18-wheelers equipped with the capabilities to take out entire Air Force bases in seconds. And then he lets them loose from the desert in the desert outside Phoenix, Arizona, with a mission of death and destruction.
Phoenix Police Detective Manny Breen has just left work to take his sister to get a new car. In his rearview mirror, he watches as the two large, black trucks scream up behind him, but even though he's able to get out of their way, his sister ahead of him is boxed in the lane with nowhere to go. He watches in horror as the lead truck smashes her off the highway to roll and tumble and burst into flames. Grief-stricken, unable to rescue her from the burning vehicle, he sets off after the trucks already miles down the road. What follows is the story of his determined pursuit of these deadly instruments of terror.
The premise of the two unstoppable and seemingly indestructible 18-wheelers is a crazy concept, but it works, and I ended up loving every minute of it. Once they get rolling, it is pure entertainment of the action film variety. I've read books before that I would describe as having "non-stop action," but Deathload seriously holds the title. I read this book in one sitting because I literally didn't want to put it down.
Vincent Fazio, the villain behind the trucks, the multimillionaire with CIA connection, may seem a sympathetic figure at first. His son, a likable young man we meet at the start of the story, was tragically killed by mistake. However, you soon realize the father's revenge is based on what he feels is an insult to himself rather than any grief over the loss of his son. There are really no mitigating circumstances in what he is doing.
Two strong characters, Phoenix Police Detective Manny Breen and Helicopter Pilot Sharon Kramer, lead the story in trying to stop Fazio. He is a witness to the death of his beloved sister by the mammoth trucks. Sharon joins the hunt when she is dispatched to where he has wrecked out while following the massive machines. Together and separately, they are unrelenting in their pursuit of the deadly trucks.
The driver-less trucks tear up the southwestern United States as they attack Air Force bases located across the rugged, hot, and remote terrain. The destruction starts outside Phoenix, Arizona, and follows a path through New Mexico and Texas as they bear down on their ultimate destination: the White House. The villain's revenge is single-mindedly about death and destruction. As the story progresses, thousands upon thousands of military personnel, law enforcement officers, and civilians are killed. The story includes graphic depictions of some of the deaths.
I recommend DEATHLOAD to readers that enjoy action-adventure stories that never let up. I was thoroughly swept up by the book and carried along by the continuous and intense action. I could easily see this story kicking off a series featuring the two leads, Manny and Sharon. This was entertainment.
I purchased this book on my birthday last year and am sorry I didn't read it sooner. What got me off high-center was voluntarily reviewing it after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from Reedsy Discovery.
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