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The Firefly
At midnight, in a secret medical clinic in Washington, D.C., two foreign doctors and their team are completing plastic surgery on an anonymous client who is changing the appearance of his face, among other things. After the procedure, the client begins to stir-and suddenly the operating room erupts in violence and the clinic is ablaze.
Washington police conduct an arson investigation, with inconclusive results. But one tantalizing fragment of evidence suggests that a terrorist bombing may be imminent. The presidential inauguration is quickly approaching and Washington's police, fire, intelligence, military, federal, and White House security teams are making frantic preparations. Because of the strain on manpower, retired Secret Service agent Swamp Morgan is recalled to active duty. His investigate the incineration of the medical clinic as a "firefly"- Washington-speak for something that looks like a threat but isn't.
As Swamp begins what he thinks is a routine check-and-dismiss, the clinic's missing client begins preparations for his to launch an attack on the American government - a decapitation strike intended to wipe out both the outgoing and incoming administrations. As the crucial day approaches, Swamp, the only agent to take the firefly seriously, must operate alone as the clock clicks down to a breathtaking finale.
Filled with brilliant twists and turns and heart-in-your throat suspense, Firefly offers first class entertainment from beginning to end.
Washington police conduct an arson investigation, with inconclusive results. But one tantalizing fragment of evidence suggests that a terrorist bombing may be imminent. The presidential inauguration is quickly approaching and Washington's police, fire, intelligence, military, federal, and White House security teams are making frantic preparations. Because of the strain on manpower, retired Secret Service agent Swamp Morgan is recalled to active duty. His investigate the incineration of the medical clinic as a "firefly"- Washington-speak for something that looks like a threat but isn't.
As Swamp begins what he thinks is a routine check-and-dismiss, the clinic's missing client begins preparations for his to launch an attack on the American government - a decapitation strike intended to wipe out both the outgoing and incoming administrations. As the crucial day approaches, Swamp, the only agent to take the firefly seriously, must operate alone as the clock clicks down to a breathtaking finale.
Filled with brilliant twists and turns and heart-in-your throat suspense, Firefly offers first class entertainment from beginning to end.
387 pages, Hardcover
First published December 8, 2003
28 people are currently reading
146 people want to read
About the author
P.T. Deutermann
41 books300 followersP. T. Deutermann is a retired Navy captain and has served in the joint Chiefs of Staff as an arms control specialist. He is the author of eighteen novels, and lives in North Carolina. His World War II adventure novel Pacific Glory won the W. Y. Boyd Literary Award for Excellence in Military Fiction, administered by the American Library Association; his other World War II novels are Ghosts of Bungo Suido and Sentinels of Fire. His most recent novel is Cold Frame, a contemporary thriller set in Washington, D.C.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
March 19, 2021
Audiobook. 5 stars all around.
Completely unexpected. Written in 2004, 9/11 is a big influence on plot and motivation.
This kept me up far after my bedtime, but I finished it in one sitting.
Completely unexpected. Written in 2004, 9/11 is a big influence on plot and motivation.
This kept me up far after my bedtime, but I finished it in one sitting.
December 4, 2008
Government conspiracies, terrorists, and CIA! Oh my!
January 1, 2009
While the book had a very likable main character, the final plot-twist was absolutely, 100% preposterous.
May 6, 2010
A complicated spy/counterspy story surrounding the planning of a terrorist
attack in Washington, D.C. Pretty good plot but slow moving and
repetitive.
attack in Washington, D.C. Pretty good plot but slow moving and
repetitive.
November 18, 2010
Too much cursing for me ...
October 29, 2019
Interesting and entertaining spy/terrorism/secret service - esque story. Kind of forgettable though. Favorite part of the story: The interplay between agencies showcased the struggles with law-enforcement agencies balancing the act between performing their duties to the best of their abilities and fighting against the bureaucracy of all the various federal agencies. The author presented that struggle well.
Least favorite part though was both the hero and the villian. The villian was weak, sloppy, unskilled, and as a result not scary at all. For someone who supposedly planned every aspect of this operation for years, he sure made errors and mistakes even I could see through right at the operational phase of his plan. And then you find out that his plan was found out, controlled, and thwarted long before we even meet him. Not much of a terrorist mastermind.
The hero, too, was revealed to be a bit of a dupe in the end (like me, the reader!), and was used as a pawn by higher forces to achieve a goal. The "terrorist plot" was known, controlled, and thwarted long before our hero stepped onto the stage. The story that we followed was allowed to continue as a form of theatrics as part of an effort to control some geopolitical outcome. It kind of invalidated all the heroics and hard work from our protagonist, and I felt frustrated and lied to, much like our hero.
Least favorite part though was both the hero and the villian. The villian was weak, sloppy, unskilled, and as a result not scary at all. For someone who supposedly planned every aspect of this operation for years, he sure made errors and mistakes even I could see through right at the operational phase of his plan. And then you find out that his plan was found out, controlled, and thwarted long before we even meet him. Not much of a terrorist mastermind.
The hero, too, was revealed to be a bit of a dupe in the end (like me, the reader!), and was used as a pawn by higher forces to achieve a goal. The "terrorist plot" was known, controlled, and thwarted long before our hero stepped onto the stage. The story that we followed was allowed to continue as a form of theatrics as part of an effort to control some geopolitical outcome. It kind of invalidated all the heroics and hard work from our protagonist, and I felt frustrated and lied to, much like our hero.
April 17, 2023
This is a very hard book to rate. That is, it is well written and engaging, and ably read by Dick Hill, but it was hard to hang on to the end. However, I appreciated the intimate knowledge of DC, and I generally respect when authors and filmmakers swing for the fences, so I will admit that I was entertained even when not entirely on board plotwise.
May 24, 2022
First book by this author(p t deutermann) and found it quite a very good read, i will definitely be reading more books by this author. This involves a terrorist act on usa soil, and is well thought out.(no spoilers)Very credible and effective characters, excellent story teller. My only gripe is the ending is to convoluted to make sense and is a stretch to far for me, other than that go out and BUY this book and enjoy.
June 21, 2017
This is an action packed book with plenty of surprises.
I didn't want to put it down but near the end, I was disappointed that things were not going as I imagined the ending would be. I put it aside until the next day and was soon caught up in the action. There are several twists and turns and it does have a good ending.
I didn't want to put it down but near the end, I was disappointed that things were not going as I imagined the ending would be. I put it aside until the next day and was soon caught up in the action. There are several twists and turns and it does have a good ending.
August 22, 2017
Really enjoy Deutermann's series...this is my 1st stand-alone...OK, sort of a "Day of the Jackal" thriller with a retired Secret Service agent pursuing a terrorist intent on a big, splashy event...twists here, twists there creates a so-so page-turner...I did enjoy the character development of the agent Swamp Morgan so, maybe 3.5 stars!
January 13, 2020
Firstly, I love Dick Hill! One of my favorite narrators. The book was pretty good, perhaps more so following Bodily Harm by Dugoni, which was not.
No spoilers, but I thought the plot flowed along nicely, with a few twists, and likable characters.
If there were a sequel or prequel with Swamp, I would probably pick it up.
No spoilers, but I thought the plot flowed along nicely, with a few twists, and likable characters.
If there were a sequel or prequel with Swamp, I would probably pick it up.
June 17, 2022
At times I found it really surprising this was written in the early 2000's. It definitely holds up. A decent read, but with some common terrorist versus police tropes thrown in the mix (which you probably already know will be there before reading).
Not my favourite cup of tea, but decent. As for he big twist in the book, umm yeah, it was a bit much but definitely not what anyone would expect.
Not my favourite cup of tea, but decent. As for he big twist in the book, umm yeah, it was a bit much but definitely not what anyone would expect.
September 18, 2023
An entertaining read!
Listened to audiobook.
Retired agent "Swamp" Morgan is handed a possible Firefly case. As he digs deeper it appears the case has merit and could be a definite threat against America.
A lot going on and an odd ending but still a good read.
Listened to audiobook.
Retired agent "Swamp" Morgan is handed a possible Firefly case. As he digs deeper it appears the case has merit and could be a definite threat against America.
A lot going on and an odd ending but still a good read.
March 29, 2018
A lot of twists and turns - great read
May 7, 2018
New author to me. A winner story and storyteller!
December 24, 2018
Exciting submarine adventure primarily in the Pacific early in WWII with an aggressive sub Captain. Very detailed re tactical attack modes and functional operations of a diesel powered boat.
December 11, 2019
Ugh. Lifeless. Way way too long. Why did I read this ?
April 6, 2021
Outstanding. Wonderful tour of DC metro area and harpers ferry.
July 28, 2024
Interesting. At times hard to follow which government agency the different characters are working for. The ending definitely has a twist I never saw coming.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 8, 2024
Great thriller! Many twists and turns.
February 25, 2017
This was one of the most satisfying books I've read in a long time! Plots within plots. Excitement and intrigue. The author kept me guessing all the way to the very last page of this thriller. Excellent book, great character development. It grabbed me from page one and kept me going to the last word. Highly recommended!
February 16, 2016
There is a good, intriguing story deep down in "The Firefly", and Mr. Deutermann does a good job throwing in enough twists at the end to make the journey worth taking, but he takes the very, very scenic route to get there. There are long stretches in this book of nothing but bureaucratic jostling and protocol discussions. Of course, procedural dramas can have their own appeal, but the notion that this is "a top-notch thriller" — as is screamed at you from the blurb on the cover — seems to take just the actual action into account, and not the lengthy jurisdiction fighting between agencies that takes up a cool one-third of the read. Many times, it feels like excess details are thrown in for the author's sake, not the reader's benefit.
There is essentially one developed character — Swamp Morgan — and even that is generous; we know he is divorced, but it's mentioned more in passing as a way of reminding you that he is a human. Literally every other character, including the main villain Heismann and the secondary protagonist Connie Wall, feels cardboard and underdeveloped.
Beyond that: the big twist at the end feels absolutely, positively absurd. For a book with a sometimes extreme dedication to realism — specifically, how things get done in Washington — to tack on the big twist at the end felt like a complete 180 in believability. It's fiction, yes, but if you have established yourself as operating in a realm of the normal and plausible, you must operate in that realm from stem-to-stern. This book fails to do that.
Credit Mr. Deutermann for an interesting villain, a unique storyline and moments of thrill, but "The Firefly" fell flat for me in many regards.
There is essentially one developed character — Swamp Morgan — and even that is generous; we know he is divorced, but it's mentioned more in passing as a way of reminding you that he is a human. Literally every other character, including the main villain Heismann and the secondary protagonist Connie Wall, feels cardboard and underdeveloped.
Beyond that: the big twist at the end feels absolutely, positively absurd. For a book with a sometimes extreme dedication to realism — specifically, how things get done in Washington — to tack on the big twist at the end felt like a complete 180 in believability. It's fiction, yes, but if you have established yourself as operating in a realm of the normal and plausible, you must operate in that realm from stem-to-stern. This book fails to do that.
Credit Mr. Deutermann for an interesting villain, a unique storyline and moments of thrill, but "The Firefly" fell flat for me in many regards.
October 29, 2012
This is your basic ‘terrorist intent on causing global chaos’ thriller, with a plastic-surgery altered (and I do mean “altered”) German killing machine hell-bent on bringing mass destruction down upon Washington D.C. Deutermann’s hero is a pug-ugly retired Secret Service agent who naturally is the only guy seemingly driven enough to track down the assassin, and when the wonderfully convoluted climax occurs the story becomes an endless array of gotchas.
I really had trouble slogging through this one during the first 1/3 of Firefly, in part because Deutermann spends an inordinate amount of time focusing on the relationships/bickering between the various governmental agencies and not nearly enough on the book’s big bad. The ending, however, was wacky, over-the-top and enjoyable.
Not as breathtaking of a thriller as I was hoping, but overall not too shabby…
I really had trouble slogging through this one during the first 1/3 of Firefly, in part because Deutermann spends an inordinate amount of time focusing on the relationships/bickering between the various governmental agencies and not nearly enough on the book’s big bad. The ending, however, was wacky, over-the-top and enjoyable.
Not as breathtaking of a thriller as I was hoping, but overall not too shabby…
September 19, 2015
This author is someone who really writes a prolonged chase novel (or so it seems to me after reading three of his books). In this one a killer goes to a somewhat shady clinic to get plastic surgery to alter his appearance so he won't be caught and then he murders all but one of the people involved in the surgery in order that there be no one alive who can identify him--except one nurse gets away and the chase is on. Well written for that sort of book.
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October 31, 2015I've followed and enjoyed Deutermann's work since his debut, but I'm done with the guy after this putrid outing. A German (OR IS HE??!?!?) super assassin-man (OR IS HE?!?!?!) is out to bring some assassinating badness to our nation's capital (OR IS HE?!?!?!), opposed by the Secret Service and Homeland Security (OR IS HE?!??!). I'm embarrassed I even managed to finish this turd-pile.
August 7, 2015
Oustanding story of a retired Secret Service agent who gets involved in a possible terrorist case. The problem is that no one will believe what he has found and considers the case a "Firefly"-a case that only lights up and goes away, not important. All this activity takes place in preparation for the inaugeration of the Presdent..
Very good book. Lots of action
Very good book. Lots of action
June 2, 2009
I know the plot seems ridiculous but did anyone ever believe that 9/11 could happen? I think this book would make a terrific thriller. I have never read this author before but am definitely putting him on my list of must reads....
June 23, 2011
First time reading this author and I was impressed. Suspenseful thriller from the first pages till the last ones. CIA, FBI, Secret Service, this one has it all. Can't wait to read one of his previous books!
July 8, 2012
Only an hour to go on this very long audiobook, but I quit. Not bad until now, when credibility was stretched too far, and was broken. This wasn't supposed to be fantasy, but suddenly it is. Sorry, just way too hard to suspend my belief on this one!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews