Derek Blass

Settling in for a long plane flight, I woke up my Kindle and clicked Allegiance, a Thriller. Five hours later, the pilot’s announcement that we had reached our destination annoyed me to no end. This book is that good.

The opening of Allegiance has attorney Cruz Marquez, outfitted in fatigues, lying on his stomach on the Arizona desert floor observing a group of Mexican citizens preparing to illegally cross the border into the United States through binoculars. When the exhausted, dehydrated group of people near Cruz, he and his partner get up onto their feet, grab jugs of water, and approach them. When they are “within yelling distance,” a “shooting gallery” erupts. It is at this point the reader is clued into the fact that they have been launched at top speed into a riveting, shocking roller coaster ride that exposes the very ugliest parts of our society and unfathomable evil. Though Blass notes that the incidents in his story are drawn from his imagination, we all know from the news that border and drug cartel issues are quite real.

Aside from being a well-written, pulse-pounding thriller, I view Allegiance as an exposé into human corruption and how the human mind can be corrupted through the evil acts of others. It’s safe to presume that Blass’s legal experience and understanding of criminal profiles gave him the tools to carve out meaty, compelling villains who evoke sympathy at times, not because we condone their heinous acts, but because Blass expertly shows what created the miscreant. He doesn’t remove their responsibility for their actions, but does give food for thought of how we as individuals can make a difference by opening our eyes to what is going on around us (every year 3.3 million reports of child abuse are made in the US involving 6 million children) and taking action. There is a powerful scene where hired killer Tyler gives a heart-wrenching account of the extreme abuse he experienced as a child and asks Cruz, “Where were you?” The question of course is “Where are we?”

Blass brings back characters from Book One, Enemy in Blue, deepens their development, and also introduces new well-crafted heroes and villains. There is one hero in particular I would like to mention: Octavio, a noble nineteen-year-old who impulsively decides to search for Cruz who is missing. Octavio does find Cruz and also finds himself smack dab in the middle of horrific violence. After pondering this brave, moral young character— the sort of boy I would want my daughters to date— I couldn’t think of another fictional teenage boy in literature I liked better. Octavio won me over completely. My only spoiler: he survives.

Last element I’ll bring up is mechanics. Blass is a master at creating a vivid picture. He focuses on details that matter, but does not bog the story down with too many. He is also extremely skilled at creating “real” and smart dialogue. Both these elements make reading Allegiance similar to watching an action-flick on the big screen, which I hope to see one day.

Needless to say, I highly recommend Allegiance, a Thriller, as well as Enemy In Blue, though I do caution if you have a huge objection to foul language and extreme violence, prepare yourself for both, and if you’re not allowed to watch movies rated above PG-13 yet, you’ll have to wait on the Cruz Marquez series.… (plus d'informations)

I must admit, while reading the initial grisly scene in Enemy In Blue, I thought, “My, Derek Blass is taking some artistic license here. I mean, this Shaver, all these witnesses. Come on, who would do this?” Quickly I realized that’s the point. The antagonist, Colin Shaver, represents individuals in our society who lack empathy and remorse and are bent on dominance and control, playing by their own twisted set of rules to gain it. Shaver, who Blass eloquently describes as “a remote, heartless human being stranded on his own island of hate,” believes he is above the law. Unfortunately he is the law.

Sergeant Shaver’s shocking crime initiates a chain reaction of violence in which heroes and villains come and go—usually in a body bag— and eventually ends in a courtroom. This half of the story is reminiscent of a Law & Order episode, and where Blass’s writing talent and legal expertise really shines. Blass is clearly a brilliant person and creates a brilliant trial for Shaver, with a cross-examination that had me on the edge of my seat waiting for Shaver to blow it (I won’t tell you if he did or didn’t). I really appreciate Blass’s ability to subtly educate the reader without weighing down his high-octane story. His clean, uncluttered writing style adds to the nail biting you’re adapt to do while reading this gritty thriller, because Blass doesn’t give you a chance to breathe. In other words, everything in the story is relevant to the story, another thing I really appreciate.

Word of warning to younger readers. If you can't watch movies like Pulp Fiction or Inglorious Bastards, you'll have to wait on this one. If you can, enjoy.… (plus d'informations)

The guys in blue are supposed to be the good guys. What if they aren’t? What one cop went rogue and took matters into his own hands? What if this vigilante justice, corruption, and racism ran much deeper than just one man?

A cameraman shooting one of those reality cop shows tags along on what seemed like a pretty routine night. At first, he’s focused on getting the best angles for the greatest effect. Then, suddenly he is told to turn off the camera. Point blank, one of the cops shoots an old man. Not a criminal, just some old man who didn’t understand English.

The thing is, the camera wasn’t actually turned off. The cameraman got the whole thing on tape. Once that becomes common knowledge, the cover up begins. More lives will be lost before any of this goes to trial. Will justice be served?

Of course, we all know that racism is alive and well. Moreover, on the news, we’ve all seen cases of corruption in the very systems that are supposed to protect us. I think Enemy in Blue just looks at the depths of those possibilities and how quickly things can get pretty complex. Frankly, it’s pretty scary.… (plus d'informations)