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The Storm Protocol
Imagine creating the perfect drug; all of the highs with none of the lows. No side effects, no painful physical withdrawal, no drawbacks.
Or are there....
Deep in the Louisiana bayou, Thomas Eugene O’Neill a.k.a The Street, an Irish immigrant mob enforcer, waits patiently with his gun amidst the sweltering heat of a southern storm. His employers, Italian American drug lords Guido and Ernesto Mancini, have a guaranteed formula to create the perfect narcotic and Thomas knows too much.
But he is not alone.
Detective Charles Roussel, ex hot-shot city lawyer turned small town Louisiana lawman, is investigating a strange case at the old plantation house he used to call home. He gets drawn inexorably to Ireland, as all his research begins to guide him to the same inevitable destination; Cork.
Agent Dale Foster, unorthodox New York DEA agent and victim of one too many bogus leads, hears murmurs of the next big thing; a drug without equal. The whisperings lead him to one last tumultuous confrontation with his superiors, who compel him to take an enforced vacation. As his plane lands in Ireland, and he follows the trail of rumours to Cork, he knows his professional instincts are leading him to the biggest bust of his life, or ending his career forever.
For Thomas, the middle-aged hit man, all roads seem to lead back to Cork; the city of his birth and the ghosts of his past.
He has plenty of questions and needs some answers, and all the while the words echo in his head.
‘Be careful what you wish for!’
Or are there....
Deep in the Louisiana bayou, Thomas Eugene O’Neill a.k.a The Street, an Irish immigrant mob enforcer, waits patiently with his gun amidst the sweltering heat of a southern storm. His employers, Italian American drug lords Guido and Ernesto Mancini, have a guaranteed formula to create the perfect narcotic and Thomas knows too much.
But he is not alone.
Detective Charles Roussel, ex hot-shot city lawyer turned small town Louisiana lawman, is investigating a strange case at the old plantation house he used to call home. He gets drawn inexorably to Ireland, as all his research begins to guide him to the same inevitable destination; Cork.
Agent Dale Foster, unorthodox New York DEA agent and victim of one too many bogus leads, hears murmurs of the next big thing; a drug without equal. The whisperings lead him to one last tumultuous confrontation with his superiors, who compel him to take an enforced vacation. As his plane lands in Ireland, and he follows the trail of rumours to Cork, he knows his professional instincts are leading him to the biggest bust of his life, or ending his career forever.
For Thomas, the middle-aged hit man, all roads seem to lead back to Cork; the city of his birth and the ghosts of his past.
He has plenty of questions and needs some answers, and all the while the words echo in his head.
‘Be careful what you wish for!’
439 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 26, 2013
36 people are currently reading
332 people want to read
About the author
Iain Cosgrove
2 books1 followerIain Cosgrove was born in Canada to English parents. He was educated in the UK and went on to study at Brighton Polytechnic, before starting a career in the City of London in IT. He moved to Dublin, Ireland in 1988, following hot on the heels of his future wife, and they subsequently got married and had three sons. He is currently an IT Director and has been writing in his spare time for the last 20 years. He has written two novels, a number of short stories and has a number of projects underway, including a sequel to "The Storm Protocol". Apart from his recent foray into Novel publishing, he has had flash fiction stories published in "A twist of noir", "Every Day Fiction" and "Indigo Rising Magazine".
He is a Taurean and an eternal optimist!
He is a Taurean and an eternal optimist!
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
February 24, 2014
The first chapter of this book fired my expectations of a rewarding story line and character development.
By the tenth chapter in, when each new chapter starts off the sub-story of a brand new character who may or may not fit into the story that has gone before, the choppy presentation, mechanical and grammatical errors and the absence of any common thread between chapters had me "close" this for good.
By the tenth chapter in, when each new chapter starts off the sub-story of a brand new character who may or may not fit into the story that has gone before, the choppy presentation, mechanical and grammatical errors and the absence of any common thread between chapters had me "close" this for good.
March 31, 2025
Too many pages, too many characters, and the tough guy dialogue is painful. There's a decent story in here, but I can't recommend this one.
March 2, 2019
I got to chapter 10 and lost interest. This book was hard to follow at first. There are some grammatical errors. I just couldn't stick with it.
June 14, 2013
I received this book from the author and it was an enjoyable read out of my typical reading zone, but something I liked the nonetheless. Storm Protocol is full of action, mysteries, gangsters, detectives, and a brand new, extremely dangerous drug about to get into the wrong hands. (I just watched Gangster Squad so reading this made me think of that movie a lot throughout even though they’re quite different.)
I enjoyed the setting of the book too, being it’s in both Ireland and America. My only issue was that there are so many character points of view, it was hard to remember who was who throughout the story without flipping back and double-checking. But, like I mentioned in my last post, that could be because I am reading so many books at the same time and I’m not very good at it.
Other than that, a fast-paced thriller : )
I received this book from the author and it was an enjoyable read out of my typical reading zone, but something I liked the nonetheless. Storm Protocol is full of action, mysteries, gangsters, detectives, and a brand new, extremely dangerous drug about to get into the wrong hands. (I just watched Gangster Squad so reading this made me think of that movie a lot throughout even though they’re quite different.)
I enjoyed the setting of the book too, being it’s in both Ireland and America. My only issue was that there are so many character points of view, it was hard to remember who was who throughout the story without flipping back and double-checking. But, like I mentioned in my last post, that could be because I am reading so many books at the same time and I’m not very good at it.
Other than that, a fast-paced thriller : )
I received this book from the author and it was an enjoyable read out of my typical reading zone, but something I liked the nonetheless. Storm Protocol is full of action, mysteries, gangsters, detectives, and a brand new, extremely dangerous drug about to get into the wrong hands. (I just watched Gangster Squad so reading this made me think of that movie a lot throughout even though they’re quite different.)
I enjoyed the setting of the book too, being it’s in both Ireland and America. My only issue was that there are so many character points of view, it was hard to remember who was who throughout the story without flipping back and double-checking. But, like I mentioned in my last post, that could be because I am reading so many books at the same time and I’m not very good at it.
Other than that, a fast-paced thriller : )
I enjoyed the setting of the book too, being it’s in both Ireland and America. My only issue was that there are so many character points of view, it was hard to remember who was who throughout the story without flipping back and double-checking. But, like I mentioned in my last post, that could be because I am reading so many books at the same time and I’m not very good at it.
Other than that, a fast-paced thriller : )
I received this book from the author and it was an enjoyable read out of my typical reading zone, but something I liked the nonetheless. Storm Protocol is full of action, mysteries, gangsters, detectives, and a brand new, extremely dangerous drug about to get into the wrong hands. (I just watched Gangster Squad so reading this made me think of that movie a lot throughout even though they’re quite different.)
I enjoyed the setting of the book too, being it’s in both Ireland and America. My only issue was that there are so many character points of view, it was hard to remember who was who throughout the story without flipping back and double-checking. But, like I mentioned in my last post, that could be because I am reading so many books at the same time and I’m not very good at it.
Other than that, a fast-paced thriller : )
I received this book from the author and it was an enjoyable read out of my typical reading zone, but something I liked the nonetheless. Storm Protocol is full of action, mysteries, gangsters, detectives, and a brand new, extremely dangerous drug about to get into the wrong hands. (I just watched Gangster Squad so reading this made me think of that movie a lot throughout even though they’re quite different.)
I enjoyed the setting of the book too, being it’s in both Ireland and America. My only issue was that there are so many character points of view, it was hard to remember who was who throughout the story without flipping back and double-checking. But, like I mentioned in my last post, that could be because I am reading so many books at the same time and I’m not very good at it.
Other than that, a fast-paced thriller : )
December 29, 2013
A bit complicated and difficult to follow in the beginning (due to the development of a large number of characters, and seemingly disjointed plot lines). I stuck it out, primarily because it was well-written and intriguing, but more than once I almost aborted, due to the complexity and difficult in ascertaining which plot line a particular chapter was dealing with. Finally, I subdued my frustration by drawing my own roadmap (characters, plot lines, relationships with other characters and plot lines) on a piece of paper as the pieces were gradually revealed to me. This book demanded a lot of work on my part - more than anything I've read in recent memory - but overall it was worth it. I think the book would have been more effective if the author had backed off a notch on the intricacies and details. Reading this book was more challenge than pleasure for me, but it is definitely intriguing and well-written. On a 10-scale, I'd give it a 7, so my 4 rating here is a bit of a gift.
August 6, 2013
I enjoyed this book. It was an interesting concept, had some action, thrills, and some good twists.
That said, it took me longer than average to read this book. The point of view abruptly switches from first to third and back again and that threw me off at first, though I did get used to it after a while. Then there was the sheer number of characters, which made it a bit difficult to keep track of what was going on. And we get all of their back stories, which slowed the action down and made me forget what was going on.
Overall, I did like the book. The main character is a hit man with a conscience and there are all sorts of drug-dealing bad guys and good cops. A good thriller dealing with the development of a perfect drug.
That said, it took me longer than average to read this book. The point of view abruptly switches from first to third and back again and that threw me off at first, though I did get used to it after a while. Then there was the sheer number of characters, which made it a bit difficult to keep track of what was going on. And we get all of their back stories, which slowed the action down and made me forget what was going on.
Overall, I did like the book. The main character is a hit man with a conscience and there are all sorts of drug-dealing bad guys and good cops. A good thriller dealing with the development of a perfect drug.
March 20, 2016
Actually, 2.5 stars. This story was well written in spots, but suffered from grammatical errors and lack of editing. The way too frequent POV and timeline changes were beyond annoying. Every last major character has his/her life neatly wrapped up in the last 10 pages of the book, some in a quite unbelievable fashion. The potential for an entertaining story was here, but sadly it was ultimately wasted.
April 15, 2016
Perhaps this book deserves four stars...I am not sure...either it is three or four, but, emotionally, I would say three stars.
It's a good book and well executed but I never wholly engaged with it....don't know why. Good characters, nice style [only a few cliches], good plotting, and lots of action. In the end I suppose I have given it three stars because the essential story I've read many times in the past.
Mild Recommndation.
It's a good book and well executed but I never wholly engaged with it....don't know why. Good characters, nice style [only a few cliches], good plotting, and lots of action. In the end I suppose I have given it three stars because the essential story I've read many times in the past.
Mild Recommndation.
August 10, 2016
I really enjoyed this book.
The characters are compelling - we meet them at nicely paced intervals, so that we can get to know who they are, then as the novel progresses we can see what happens when their paths cross.
Each of the locations across the world is vividly portrayed, whether it's Louisiana, New York or Ireland, and is a good part of the novel's appeal.
I really hope to see a sequel to this.
The characters are compelling - we meet them at nicely paced intervals, so that we can get to know who they are, then as the novel progresses we can see what happens when their paths cross.
Each of the locations across the world is vividly portrayed, whether it's Louisiana, New York or Ireland, and is a good part of the novel's appeal.
I really hope to see a sequel to this.
April 19, 2015
Confusing
So many characters to keep straight. Hard to figure out who was talking in each chapter. Names were confusing...too similar to follow the different gangs and determine who was doing what to whom. Continued reading to see what happened to "Street". Subtle suggestion as to who was having facial reconstruction and who they were going to look like. Guess you have to read the next book to find out.
So many characters to keep straight. Hard to figure out who was talking in each chapter. Names were confusing...too similar to follow the different gangs and determine who was doing what to whom. Continued reading to see what happened to "Street". Subtle suggestion as to who was having facial reconstruction and who they were going to look like. Guess you have to read the next book to find out.
June 28, 2013
* I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.
At first the book was hard to follow because there's so many different perspectives to the story but about halfway through it got clearer. Whew! The plot was original and he weaved in social issues without being heavy handed. It was an interesting, edge of your seat thriller.
At first the book was hard to follow because there's so many different perspectives to the story but about halfway through it got clearer. Whew! The plot was original and he weaved in social issues without being heavy handed. It was an interesting, edge of your seat thriller.
October 31, 2014
From start to finish I was gripped. The building of the plot and definition of the key characters was excellent. The story was uniaue and not the standard crime fiction novell.
I had hoped for a bigger finish but the author was laid a number of hooks to keep me waiting for book two. I look forward to the next book from Iain.
I had hoped for a bigger finish but the author was laid a number of hooks to keep me waiting for book two. I look forward to the next book from Iain.
May 26, 2015
Pretty good. The novel was well paced and interesting, but I wish the ending would have taken more time. The book was good, but it ended kind of suddenly and I would have liked more information. Overall, three stars seems fair.
February 13, 2014
This guy has potential, but really needs to tighten up the details. Irish born hit man goes straight and teams up with a DEA agent and a Louisiana police detective to save the world from a dangerous new recreational drug, that is also being used by the military as a weapon.
November 14, 2016
TERRIFIC
I was unsure at first but by the 4th chapter I had trouble putting it down. I will probably put it on my wanting to read again shelf.
I was unsure at first but by the 4th chapter I had trouble putting it down. I will probably put it on my wanting to read again shelf.
February 24, 2014
Not too bad
A few too many characters to keep track of and some factual errors here and there. otherwise a pretty decent thriller.
A few too many characters to keep track of and some factual errors here and there. otherwise a pretty decent thriller.
April 6, 2014
Excellent thriller about a new drug that is highly dangerous.3 men team up to destroy the organisation behind it.Well written.Recommended
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews