Zero Option - P.T. Deutermann

Title: Zero Option

Author: P.T Deutermann

Read By: Dick Hill

Publisher: Brilliance Audio

Genre: Adult Fiction

Number of Cd’s and/or Total running time: 3 CD’s / ~ 3 hours (abridged)

ISBN-13: 978-1441856555

Link to the Author’s and/or Publisher’s Website: P.T. Deutermann

Link to Amazon.com for purchase (if applicable): Zero Option

Release Date (if applicable): November 29, 2010

Brief Summary:

A chemical weapon is sent in error to an Army disposal facility where it winds up in the wrong hands of the facility manager Wendell Carson. Carson has been scamming the system and running an auction kickback program allowing unscrupulous bidders to get their hands on items they should not be able to. David Stafford is an investigator who, after obtaining whistleblower status, has been reduced to the equivalent of a desk job. Assigned to investigate the rumored auction scam, Stafford finds more than he has bargained for when a young girl in the airport triggers his investigative instincts and has him dig deeper than he had originally intended.

To stop the catastrophe Stafford must rely on his willpower, his morals, and most of all a scared teenage psychic and her guardian. The Army is trying to stop him. The Evil forces that want the chemical weapon want to stop him. His boss wants to stop him. He needs them all to stay alive.

Personal Review:

I started off very interested and consumed by this recording. The story quickly went from intriguing and plausible to improbable. The parts of the story that did not involve the teenage mute psychic were well written, intelligent and solicited vivid imagery while listening. I found myself empathetic with both the good guys and bad guys throughout the novel. The changes in location and characters’ interaction with the plot flowed smoothly.

The teenage psychic and her caretaker, although introduced properly, caused me to slowly drift from the story. It brought a somewhat believable and compelling story into the realm of the absurd. The action continued as earlier in the book and was still entertaining, which has lead me to rate this as average.

Rating: Average