2s And 3s - Gannon, Jack

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Résumé :

After the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, and a variety of other surreptitious domestic threats and crimes that subsequently occurred throughout the nation in the following years, the Joint Chiefs of Staff endeavored to implement a new, powerful clandestine TASK FORCE to discretely take care of such nuisances--- and just in time. A serial killer with an obsession for planning out murders in sets of TWOS AND THREES has plagued the City of Richmond, Virginia for many years. After almost two decades of being beleaguered and abused at home, a once-innocent child turned adult sociopath/psychopath takes righteous revenge with nerve-jangling paranoia, leaving Biblical quotes at each crime scene. In due time the media labels the mysterious assassin as the Biblical Bomber. The TASK FORCE, all former military officers and the best-of-the-best, leads the battle with highly-developed rearmaments to aid in their profile, capture and hopeful dispatch of the serial killer by any means possible. For years, the TASK FORCE remains stymied, along with the local and state authorities, in their efforts to find the inexorable villain. The compelling search turns the hunter into the hunted. Jason Enterprises, a private company that specializes in top-secret, experimental development contracts for the United States Government and its Military, steps into the picture. The pragmatic President of the company, Mark Jason, becomes an unusual kind of hero in a new and uncertain age. The former Navy officer interjects his superior intelligence, clever plotting, and a few ironic twists and turns when he joins the TASK FORCE in an effort to challenge the darkness and emotional complexity of a killer that haunts the city. His team comes equipped with uncanny, bizarre, and ingenious specialties of their own, forming a superior team of four (with curious code names) that brilliantly executes its talents in an effort to undermine the enemy. Throw in a rough-and-tumble battle-scarred war hero who turns out to be quite a pussy-cat--- a couple childhood sweethearts--- a Cinderella-like wedding--- a missed attempt at shooting down a private jet--- some FBI interrogations --- a delightful honeymoon--- an under-the-covers intra-office romance--- a bit of booze and drugs--- a grieving fianc?--- a good bit of covert try-outs and operations--- a busty barmaid/bouncer--- wisecracks under fire--- a killer that is ruthless and unnervingly delusional, and the result is a cast of characters that keeps this roller-coaster of a book going from the first page to the last. This suspenseful thriller will leave the reader with mixed emotions, wanting to love and hate the killer at the same time. The ticking-bomb suspense of the feverish cat-and-mouse chase at the end provides a unique double-surprise ending, delivering the perfect final payoff!