[.ca] Wild Justice (ISBN 0312993501)

boring:
I almost couldn't finish this book, and when I did I was happy the torture was over. Mr. Smith may have a heck of a reputation, but I can't handle his form of writing. Perhaps it his the jolly good old English way of saying things, but I couldn't stand it. For instance, on page 196, he writes "and Magda wrapped him in the Angora wool travel rug before examining his wound under the interior light of the cab". REALLY, give me a break. I really enjoyed the first part of the book (the part dealing with the terrorist takeover of the jet), but after that the story degenerated badly. (I wonder if two different people actually wrote this book.) I think that this 487 page book could have been written in under 350 pages. ...

Wild Read!:
Wilbur Smith can just plain write. WILD JUSTICE starts out on a hijacked airliner and ends up in a desperate fight to stop a master terrorist known as Caliph. General Peter Stride is the Commander of Thor: A multi-national anti-terrorist squad that has some similarities to Clancy's Rainbow Six. (But before you start picking at Smith, note that WILD JUSTICE was originally published in 1979 when Iran was an American ally and no one had heard of Tom Clancy). Even though the book deals with countries and places that have changed, the story has a timeless appeal characteristic of Smith's work. It is great to see books like this come back into print.

Delta Decision or Wild Justice - still a great read:
Readers should be aware that this book was published in the United States with the name "The Delta Decision" in 1979. "Wild Justice" was the name used for the British edition. As other readers have pointed out, it is not a new work by Wilbur Smith. I mention this only to prevent earlier readers of "The Delta Decision" from ordering a book they've read already. That said, this is one of Smith's best works. It followed an equally good thriller - "Hungry As The Sea" - that captured many new Smith fans. I have read every novel Wilbur Smith has published over the past 40 years and can say not one of them was anything less than captivating. Whether you are new to this great author or have read his works in the past, you will enjoy thoroughly "Wild Justice," while marvelling at his ability to envision, more than a quarter century ago, the world we find ourselves in today.

Better than it has to be:
Wilbur Smith is an incredible writer. He writes eloquently while providing the reader with an action-packed story. I bought Wild Justice off the new paperback shelf and was disappointed to get home and see that it was actually written in 1979. I thought because it is a thriller that deals with terrorism, intrigue and military special operations that it would be dated, but I was impressed at how prescient Smith was when writing this book. The plot could be set in 2003 with only minor changes. The organizational conflicts and terrorist strategies are accurate and insightful. The date of the writing does not lessen the book's impact and effect at all. As far as the story, it has everything a thriller needs and more. Secretive terrorists, special forces, good and evil and gray areas. It has a very well-written romance. It has crises of conscience and morals. This sounds cliche but I could not put it down over the four days it took me to read it. I felt good about the ending, too. I have not yet been disappointed by Smith's book, which is great because he has written about 30.