We'll get the disclaimer out of the way first. I received copies of all three Jack Del Rio books in exchange for my honest review.
Though these books are available separately this review will cover all three because I can't imagine anyone reading just one.
Richard Paolinelli has written an eminently readable trilogy. He did his research and I saw no factual errors in the books. That alone sets them apart from much of what's being offered these days.
I found Jack Del Rio to be a thoroughly engaging character. Equally entertaining were his Native American friends whom he helps and who try to protect him. The interaction between people from two different cultures who find grounds for respect and even love is heartwarming.
Del Rio's passion for his country shows through in each book. His single-mindedness of purpose in capturing and exposing the bad guys was inspiring. Though he'd prefer to simply be left alone, Del Rio is fearless and determined when that becomes an impossibility. Happily, Paolinelli includes just enough love interest to make Jack Del Rio human.
There's so much action in this series it's difficult to review it extensively without including spoilers. But three things stand out...characters, plot and composition.
Characters were all vividly drawn. Paolinelli gives good history on each--so good, in fact, that I was left wishing I could actually meet these non-existent people. The Native Americans and their culture were fascinating. Del Rio's respect for them was a breath of fresh air in view of the current climate of divisiveness in America.
The plot(s), while somewhat intricate at times, are believable and clearly outlined. The action was so fast-paced that I found myself finishing the entire trilogy in two days. I couldn't put it down (and the housework suffered accordingly).
Paolinelli proves with this series that it is possible to write a good book that is not laced with sex and profanity.
The only thing I found to complain about was the author's tendency to throw asides into a sentence separated by commas, as though they were subordinate clauses. This might not even register for some, but this English major found it distracting. These asides should have been set apart by elipses or, even better, made into separate sentences. This disturbs the flow of otherwise excellent writing. You're racing along with the plot when suddenly the sentence structure goes off the rails and you find yourself re-reading the same sentence several times to make sense of it. The jarring effect of this is the reason for four stars. I hated to take one star off from this but it happened just often enough to keep the books from being five stars all the way.
Bottom line...these books are an excellent read, even with the occasional odd sentence construction. The Del Rio trilogy is well worth your time.
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