Can you really judge a book by its cover? If you apply this maxim to Enemies Among Us by Bob Hamer, then you'll make a mistake. Enemies Among Us is promoted as "A Thriller," complete with a hooded terrorist sporting a bad attitude and an automatic weapon on the cover. The book is really an enjoyable, if somewhat predictable tale of an FBI agent working undercover to ferret-out a terrorist cell in Los Angeles.Hamer's resume as a veteran FBI agent is touted on the front and back covers, as well as the "Praise for Enemies Among Us" section in the front of the book. This experience is reflected in the details provided about the intricacies of FBI work, departmental organization, and office politics. Hamer's writing style lets the reader walk through the methodical pacing of an anti-terrorist investigation.
The protagonist is FBI agent Matt Hogan. He's a likable character - a bit of a rebel, always one-step ahead of the supervisors, and quick to figure-out the bad guys' next moves. Potential terrorist sleeper-cell activity leads Hogan to an undercover assignment as a volunteer handyman at a Christian Children's hospital. There, he watches an Afghan physical therapist, and an Arabic doctor. He strikes-up conversations, searches a desk or two, and basically pokes around, but doesn't find out much. It's almost a coincidence that he winds-up in the danger zone in the story's climax. Of course, that's probably how most FBI work goes - go through the motions, gather information, and prevent a catastrophe.
And there-in lies the problem. While grasping for accuracy, the slow pace of the plot and the chapters where nothing really happens leave the reader unfulfilled. The cover, the title, and description promise suspense, but nothing really exciting happens in the first 150 pages. Only in the book's climax was I at the edge of my seat.
Reading through the book, I get the impression that Hamer's first priority is to present FBI work as it really is, and his secondary goal is to provide a rocking-good read. I've heard that many law enforcement officers go weeks, months, even years between action-packed confrontations with the bad guys. But as a reader, I want to read about those episodes, not the standard work-a-day drudgery.
That said, the story itself is very good. There are several believable characters, and Hamer has a real flair for keeping the reader interested. I would certainly recommend this book to friends, but not as a Vince Flynn/Tom Clancy thriller.
The storyline is wide-open for more FBI cases, and I would imagine more will follow. I look forward to more of Hamer's work, and I hope that future Matt Hogan stories will provide more suspense and action, even if it comes at the expense of realism.
(three stars out of five)