What do you think?
Rate this book
5 Cities
In his first adventure, Colonel Daniel Archer of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was ensnared in a complex government scheme labeled, The Oasis Plan. Now, the Colonel is once again the centerpiece of an ever-deepening mystery. Based in Las Vegas, Archer is joined by a relentless young reporter who uses her charm and ambition to uncover a secret in the desert that the government will do anything to protect. Colonel Archer knows the truth, but can he preserve the secret while saving himself and the reporter from the dark forces that want them dead? Find out in Five Cities.
182 pages, Paperback
First published August 18, 2010
1 person want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
June 14, 2020
Full disclosure: My father loaned me this book before he died. He wasn't much of a reader, but he liked what he liked, and he liked this very much. The book in my possession is a signed author copy, with a personal message to my father. If my review is at all biased, it's because it is, simply, unavoidable, as reading it made me feel closer to someone I miss very much.
A thoughtful military thriller? Who knew?
Colonel Daniel Archer of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is a good guy just trying to do his job, but he keeps getting tied up in secret government plots and projects. A mundane issue over a water bill turns out to be one of the biggest secrets of the many Las Vegas has ever kept. When a reporter stumbles onto the same secret, a chain of events kicks off that has both Archer and the young media maven running for their lives.
Although this is definitely a thriller, plot-wise, there's a lot more exposition and description to this one than readers usually get. That's probably why I like it so much: the attention to detail. The author clearly knows -- or has researched to the utmost -- intricate details of urban planning, construction, and military affairs, and doesn't hesitate to tell you about them in detail. The result is a delightful tour through an unusual project that someone should have handed to President Obama for examination.
Why? Because the titular five cities are a brilliant idea, and unless a geologist could explain why, there's no reason why they couldn't exist the way McGivern imagines them. A lot of the reasons for their creation are still problems we struggle with in 2020, and it was a little spine-tingly to hear characters talking about these problems and their potential solutions. Plus, they're just gorgeous: I could imagine myself living there. It could totally work.
The book gave me hope for the future, and that's something that's in short supply right now. McGivern has a vision, and I'm here for it. Though this is the second book in a series, McGivern provides enough context that readers could enjoy the story without having read the first book. The pacing is slow, which might deter the usual thriller reader, but those willing to stay the course will be rewarded with, at the very least, a beautiful dream....and one exceptionally excellent, chapter-spanning chase scene.
Libraries open to collecting self-published / small press works should definitely look into this series, which working class folks and/or military fiction fans would enjoy. Recommended.
A thoughtful military thriller? Who knew?
Colonel Daniel Archer of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is a good guy just trying to do his job, but he keeps getting tied up in secret government plots and projects. A mundane issue over a water bill turns out to be one of the biggest secrets of the many Las Vegas has ever kept. When a reporter stumbles onto the same secret, a chain of events kicks off that has both Archer and the young media maven running for their lives.
Although this is definitely a thriller, plot-wise, there's a lot more exposition and description to this one than readers usually get. That's probably why I like it so much: the attention to detail. The author clearly knows -- or has researched to the utmost -- intricate details of urban planning, construction, and military affairs, and doesn't hesitate to tell you about them in detail. The result is a delightful tour through an unusual project that someone should have handed to President Obama for examination.
Why? Because the titular five cities are a brilliant idea, and unless a geologist could explain why, there's no reason why they couldn't exist the way McGivern imagines them. A lot of the reasons for their creation are still problems we struggle with in 2020, and it was a little spine-tingly to hear characters talking about these problems and their potential solutions. Plus, they're just gorgeous: I could imagine myself living there. It could totally work.
The book gave me hope for the future, and that's something that's in short supply right now. McGivern has a vision, and I'm here for it. Though this is the second book in a series, McGivern provides enough context that readers could enjoy the story without having read the first book. The pacing is slow, which might deter the usual thriller reader, but those willing to stay the course will be rewarded with, at the very least, a beautiful dream....and one exceptionally excellent, chapter-spanning chase scene.
Libraries open to collecting self-published / small press works should definitely look into this series, which working class folks and/or military fiction fans would enjoy. Recommended.
Displaying 1 of 1 review