Book Review: The Fifth Horseman

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

The Fifth Horseman     Amazon US HC Amazon Canada HC
Richard Sherbanluk
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Thriller
Forge, Mar 2001, $25.95, 352 pp.

By 2003, some interesting events have occurred in the Mid East, leading to a potential environmental Armageddon. The independent International Environmental Response Team(INERT) led by Dr. Michael Zammit visits ecological hot spots in efforts to avert disasters or cleaning up after a mess.

The Mid East remains a hot spot but a new crisis requires the INERT squad to prevent a pandemic catastrophe as a terrorist has opened a genie bottle by placing an genetically altered organism into a Turkish reservoir, leaving thousands poisoned. Turkey cut off water supplies to Iraq and Syria, who with the help of a rogue Russian military officer plans to invade the democratic Muslim nation. INERT must neutralize the new weapon of mass destruction before the Mid East explodes.

THE FIFTH HORSEMAN is an action thriller that starts at a supersonic speed and never slows down for a moment even if the heroic group's name is a misnomer. The story line is very exciting even if some of the actions of the characters appear far-fetched. Richard Sherbanluk creates a combination Indian Jones-James Bond thriller that will please the action-adventure crowd, who will demand more INERT tales.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner