The Enemy Within

by Larry Bond

America's largest cities are in flames. Its majestic landmarks are in ruins. Oceans and boundaries offer no protection. It is the first sophisticated, intelligently planned, and utterly ruthless terrorist campaign waged on U.S. soil. As national leaders, armies, and artificial intelligence strive to win the unconventional war, two men--once friends, now adversaries to the death--race to a decisive confrontation.

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Military Fiction, War, Military Thriller, Action, Suspense

Kindle Edition

First published March 15, 1996

About the author

Larry Bond is the author of several bestselling military thrillers, including Crash Dive, Cold Choices, Dangerous Ground, Red Phoenix and the Larry Bond’s First Team and Larry Bond’s Red Dragon Rising series. He was a naval officer for six years, serving four on a destroyer and two on shore duty in the Washington DC area. He's also worked as a warfare analyst and antisubmarine technology expert, and he now writes and designs computer games, including Harpoon and Command at Sea. He makes his home in Springfield, Virginia.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/larrybond

Reviews

[R. C. Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

"So it is that an army avoids strength and attacks weakness." - Sun Tzu

This is the central idea behind The Enemy Within.

Semi-spoilers ahead.

The central antagonist starts a campaign not of terrorism but of guerrilla war against the US. His agents are not just fanatics but commandoes, well trained and well equipped. They are literally the survivors of the training camp set up to prepare them for this campaign.

But their attacks are designed not weaken America, or to convert them or to force them to accept surrender. Their attacks are designed to turn Americans against one another by hiding behind race. Each attack is claimed not by the actual perpetrators but by made up racist supremacist groups on each side of the wide racial divide in America. After a dozen such attacks America is ready to tear itself to pieces.

And the main antagonist can then get on with his real plan which is to conquer Saudi Arabia and gain control of its oil. With the US Armed Forces completely tied up putting down riots and a quick strike he can then have America by the gonads.

I quite enjoyed this book. First because the events were quite realistic and plausible. Second because I like the central characters. It's a pleasure to read a book where the central female character is quite capable of kicking ass and taking names.

I think the climax was rather a case of author intervention. I believe if an enemy of the States tried a campaign such as outlined in the book it would succeed. It did strike at America's weakness. A weakness than remains to this day. It is perhaps worse now than when this book was written.

Much enjoyed and recommended to those who like excellent techno-thrillers.

[itchy · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's no Rainbow Six, but it's scarier because the baddies were able to rack up multiple wins. Even the retribution was costly.

[Andrew Holliman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Please ignore this, this is for a school project(unless you are my teacher grading this of course)
IR Review “The Enemy Within” By Larry Bond
Pages: 528
This is for both IR sessions second semester (I got better than 75% on quiz)
Question #1
There were many things about this book that appealed to me. The first thing was that the terrorists or the FBI agents were afraid to play dirty. They wouldn’t mess around. For example, a terrorist hired by a special group in Iran went into Chicago and killed over 20 people. In most books/movies/T.V. Shows, things are too politically correct, and this book DID NOT care about political correctness. The style of writing made it easy to read if one knew the ins and outs of weapons and how the United States works. There could have been modifications in that there were 50 dry pages of text that were pretty boring, but besides that, the book was fantastic.
Question #2
The diction used in this book was not very stylish compared to “chick flick” books. It was direct, but not too blunt. Bond’s syntax conveyed an immense amount of suspense throughout the novel as the 2 FBI agents attempted to thwart the Iranian terrorist attacks on the United States. The only thing that could have been confusing is all the military terms and weapon names used in the book. However, I watched a whole bunch of military channel and World War II movies as a kid so I knew the terminology that was used.
Question #3
There were multiple themes in the novel. The most prominent one was that losing close friends, especially in combat, is a tough obstacle to get over. This happened many times in the book. Both FBI agents lost close friends, and even the head terrorist felt sadness from losing his close comrades. Another key message is that emotion can be felt on both sides of the war. The terrorists, even though they were killing innocent civilians and were bad people, still had thoughts and feelings that could make them feel sadness.

[Rebecca Graf · Rating 5 out of 5]

The bad guy is not always easy to determine. He could be the one closest to you, maybe. This is the story of America and Iran in the 90s. Terrorism is still going strong, but Iran is making moves for reconciliation. Yet terrorism grows despite Iran claiming no part of it. Who is behind the attacks? What is their purpose?

The story is set at a very good pace with an intricate storyline that I appreciate. The author did an excellent job of creating multiple storylines and tying them all in. I was also impressed with the amount of research that had to have gone into writing such a story. Espionage is not one dimensional. There are so many aspects to it that a novice cannot just start writing about it and get it right the first time. The author had clearly researched the various countries, technology, and even history.

The characters were great. I found myself drawn to them and even tearing up at one point. I love it when an author can draw me in like this. In the book, I was able to see into the heads of all the characters including the terrorists and the one behind it all. Even after I knew who the puppeteer was, I was kept in the dark about his motives. Very well done.

Before reading this book, keep in mind that the book was written in the 90s which means a lot has changed in the Middle East and with America’s relationships with the countries there. You need to think back to that period as you read. I know it was hard at times to separate what I know as historical fact and what happened in the book.

Of course, there is violence. You cannot read an espionage book without it. It is not gruesome.

A great read. Highly recommend to anyone who likes this genre.

Note: I had this book on my bookshelf for years with no idea of where it came from. So, no one asked for a positive review.

[Dan Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

America's largest cities are in flames. Its majestic landmarks are in ruins. Electronic sabotage cripples its far-flung communications systems. Race battles against race in a raging civil conflagration. The first waves of a meticulously orchestrated international terrorist campaign have achieved a stunning and terrifying success. As grim national leaders hunker down with advisors, as the finest living minds in strategic intelligence together with state-of-the-art computers link up to search out and destroy the source of the savagery, as armies both with and without uniforms mobilize to win the ultimate unconventional war, two men - once friends, now adversaries to the death - race to a decisive confrontation. On one side is General Amir Taleh, an implacable foe of the United States, a nimble survivor of the brutal cross-currents of Iran's internal politics, and a shrewd fighter who believes that killing for revenge is pointless but killing for a higher purpose is justified. Opposing him are two American operatives who become tactical allies as well as unexpected lovers: Colonel Peter Thorn, the Delta Force veteran who has faced down the masters of terror on foreign soil and now feels powerless to defeat them at home; and Special Agent Helen Gray, as beautiful as she is a formidable player in the old-boy network of special operations. Together, they must find a way to defeat Taleh and his forces before the West awakens to its greatest nightmare of all

[Roger Scherping · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a great book if you like to read about death and destruction in America. The author presents almost 400 pages of carefully crafted, highly successful terrorist attacks in America. He describes a highly intelligent, well-financed and highly effective opponent that secretly infiltrates the American culture and creates a dozen highly destructive terrorist attacks. He leads us through the intricate planning, preparation and execution in great detail. He personalizes the attacks and presents a picture of both the physical destruction and the terrible impact on human lives taken. He represents our government and all of the agencies that are meant to protect us as caught off-guard and totally incapable of stopping the attacks or controlling the resulting chaos that tears across our country.

If you like to read that sort of thing, this is the book for you. Only the last 100 pages are about how the good guys stop them. This formula just wasn't enjoyable for me.

[100 Pages A Day · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Enemy Within (Enemy) reminded me of Tom Clancy's Sum of All Fears (SAF) . Both books were about terrorism. SAF was nuclear terrorism, which made it more unlikely to happen than Enemy, which was straight up domestic terrorism perpetrated by sleeper cells. Let me tell you, those guys were slick. From the first chapter, I kept saying damn, this can't be happening; this is too close to home; hell no, someone needs to be fired from the FBI or CIA. Those were my thoughts.

Enemy is a domestic terrorism rollercoaster, taking you on a ride filled with suspense, blood, glory, some bullshit satire, and a climax that will piss you off. Don't say you weren't warned!

[Shellie Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Riveting and difficult to read at times due to the terrorist attacks in written in graphic detail. Iran launches terror attacks to distract from something bigger. It was a good book, scary with regards to possibility of happening. This genre is not my favorite, but I try to read books I normally wouldn’t if they are recommended.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

The plot is a good one but I felt it got bogged down in detail. How many terrorist attacks does it take to get the point across? And each attack is elaborated ad nauseum. However, it is easy to skip a lot of it and not miss anything, so that isn't really a deal breaker.

[Jerry Van · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really great fictional acct of what we continue to anticipate from middle East tyrants- Iran in this case. A long, good storyline of government and military crisis and chaos re: decision making in a war time environment . Recommend

[jack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bond, Larry Bond

A story of treachery on a grand scale. Lots of death and destruction dished out in terrorist fashion. I look forward to reading much more from this apparently prolific author.

[K Shirey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book will give you nightmares. How easy it would be to cause this confusion and the damage that can be done by those who hate America. It kept me interested, a page turner with solid character’s.

[Bernie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Enemy Within review

The Enemy Within is the first fast-paced book in the Helen Gray/ Peter Thorne series written by author Larry Bond.

[Michael Levy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprise

Not too bad a story line let us hope it doesn't give anyone ideas i always enjoy Larry's books.and have now read them all.

[Ron · Rating 5 out of 5]

WAR sea adventures
SPY
GOOD WAR STORY DETAIL
EASY READ
GET MOR

[Ann Amadori · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little long but the action helped move things along.

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely good.

[Judith Gunn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This author can be counted on to produce an exciting, complex story about military action that starts with attacks on the U.S. This one is focused on the Middle East.

[The Villan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read

[Gordon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read. I enjoyed the story, and the characters portrayed let's hope that this will never happen, but there again America will save the day.

[Mr Christopher R Price · Rating 4 out of 5]

exciting book

Well drawn characters, knowledgeable about the US Army.
The book was about the right length. Would have liked to know if he had been court martial Ed though.

[Peter Nader · Rating 2 out of 5]

Again, a handful of Yankees sneak into an enemy stronghold and despite all odds emerge victorious.

[Dimitri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Straightforwardly entertaining, but with flat characters and the rush to a race war which must paralyse the US in the face of an Iranian military surge, more of a script than a novel.

[Matt Sherwood · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not the best action novel I've ever read. There was a lot of gratuitous violence, and a love angle that was not that well played.

[Nelson Zhang · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Enemy Within
Larry Bond
The Enemy Within
Vision: March 1, 1997
528 pp. $6.99
978-0446603850

The first wave of the terrorist attacks hit the United States and succeeded to bring the country into civil chaos. With the Country’s best antiterrorist task forces coming up with nothing, Colonel Peter Thorn and his comrade, Agent Helena Grey, must find the enemy within before its too late. The story revolves around Colonel Peter Thorn of the Delta squadron tracking down the cause of the worst terrorist attacks since 9/11. Throughout the story, he finds himself in many obstacles and dead ends until he finally corners the traitor. Along the journey he finds love, tastes bitter betrayal, and experiences losses of companions. The Enemy Within by Larry Bond does an excellent job of incorporating the edge of the seat writing style, if the reader likes action, they won’t be able to put this book down.
The main reason why the Enemy Within is so enthralling is because of the different points of view that the story is told in. This helps the story by adding tremendous amounts of detail. One example is the description of the Golden Gate Bridge after the first terrorist attack by the investigator. The narrator quotes, “heaps of smoking cars and dried blood lie on the now unrecognizable Golden Gate Bridge”. This is able to paint a clear mental picture in the reader’s mind of what the landscape looks like. Larry bond goes even further to incorporate the smell of the chemicals and the mangled bodies of the civilians. Immediately after the attack description, the point of view switches to the mastermind of the attack describing the emotions and personality traits of the terrorist. Though character switching is useful, it can also be troublesome due to the sudden change of people and scenery.
Another reason why different points of perspective are effective in the novel is because it reveals a whole new spectrum of thoughts. An example of this in the story is when the narrator conveys the hatred of the terrorists to the American people by describing it as,” He watched the fancy sports cars pass by, he muttered to himself,” those infidels”! “ How dare they look at those heaps of metal more important than god”! “ No matter, they’ll all burn for their sins soon”. This is very important because it not only describe raw hatred, it also explains the terrorist’s motives. Also the description is very effective because it helps people understand terrorist logic and ideology.
The Enemy Within by Larry Bond contains many great descriptions and plots. Though there were a few bad points such as the sudden change in perspective, without switching perspectives, the book wouldn’t be as well written and interesting as it is, and wouldn't be any better than other generic action book.

[Nigel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an excellent geo political thriller which had me gripped from page one. I have previously read Larry Bond’s war novels (Red Phoenix and Vortex) but this was a bit different with it being more a thriller. America is reeling under a series of large terrorist attacks and subsequent riots have them on the brink of an internal race war.
Into the mix are thrust Helen Gray (FBI Hostage rescue team) and Colonel Peter Thorn (former Delta force commander and now in an intelligence billet at the pentagon). They and all the anti-terrorist law enforcement teams are working tirelessly to find and stop the culprits. As the investigation proceeds discrepancies occur that lead them to believe that all is not as it appears on the surface and suspicions grow that America is being played.
Tensions build well as the novel moves to its violent, dramatic and somewhat surprising conclusion. All in all a well-crafted novel that delivered a punchy storyline, good action and interesting characters.

[Ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author focused quite a bit on the technical details at the expense of other details, like sensory descriptions and a real love story. The vignettes of people on site during the various scenes in the book were nice, because the author did not keep putting his main characters miraculously into every major event, but each one had a backstory in some way which felt a bit forced at times. The love story was quite unnecessary and poorly written, shoehorned in because of course the protagonist needs a love interest and why not make her useful to the plot? Overall, a fairly quick read with a not-too-crazy plot. If I'd read this a few years back, I might have considered the plot to be crazy. With the current atmosphere, the race-based plot would actually be a perfect screen for a more sinister organization as it plays out in the book.

[Art · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast paced thriller! Shadowy terrorists manage to start a race war within the United States. With U.S. authorities distracted by this internal conflict, Iran quietly prepares an attack on Saudi Arabia to gain control of that country's rich oil fields. Ludlum and Clancy fans will love it.

[Michiel Bon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dit boek biedt een fascinerende en diepgaande analyse van de bedreigingen die van binnenuit komen en de stabiliteit van een samenleving ondermijnen. De auteur combineert historische voorbeelden en actuele gebeurtenissen op overtuigende wijze, waardoor het zowel informatief als relevant aanvoelt. De schrijfstijl is scherp en helder, waardoor complexe onderwerpen toegankelijk worden gemaakt zonder aan diepgang in te boeten. De inzichten zijn verhelderend en zetten aan tot nadenken over de kwetsbaarheden binnen politieke en sociale structuren. Een absolute aanrader voor lezers die geïnteresseerd zijn in geschiedenis, politiek en maatschappelijke kwesties.

[Don Devine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was another really very good, excellent, book by Larry Bond. The story developed nicely and built into a nice crescendo of intrigue and drama. On at least one occasion the book kept me awake after my nightly reading! My only complaint was that the ending did seem hurried, almost as if it was cutoff due to space limitations or something. The ending plot twist or "turn" as a better descriptive, was cliche and the final events seemed glossed over. Kind of like watching a Tom Clancy book based movie. It was however a good read and I did enjoy the story.