Title: Free Fall
Subtitle: When Duty Calls
Author: Harvey Cleggett
Publisher: Silverbird Publishing Trading
ISBN: 978-1-7645830-8-4
Genre: Action Adventure / Crime
Reviewer: Jake Bishop

Read Book Review

The boys from down under are up again in this jet-fueled page ripper that leaves heat-searing exhaust from chapter to chapter. Aussie homicide detectives Michael Ballard and John Henderson can’t seem to avoid confrontations, cockups, and complete disregard for personal safety as they careen from one high stakes encounter to the next. Ballard’s penchant for technical knowledge and Henderson’s loose cannon wise cracks keeps heavy situations light as they battle baddies frequently, bad news occasionally, and dressing downs by their superiors routinely.

This adventure kicks off in Mother Russia where the intrepid duo arrive in hopes of capturing a nasty piece of work who wrought havoc in Melbourne and managed to slip their grasp. Now, with help from an Italian, who actually works for the American CIA, and the Russian government who have grown tired of the villain and his criminal cartel’s excursions and escapes back to their turf, a plan is put in place to bust the criminals’ inner circle and extradite the evil doer to face Australian justice. Battering rams, bullets, and one bang after another ensues, as does a chase above ground, below ground, and even through a lair once occupied by Stalin himself. The bad guy gets captured. But can he be kept without causing even more death and destruction? You find out soon enough.

Author Cleggett is an ex-policeman with over four decades on the Victoria Police Force. He puts that experience to good use crafting believable characters. Both the honorable and appealing ones, plus the masqueraders and martinets. His criminals are as vile as they are villainous, from beautiful feminine assassins to megalomaniacal maniacs, plus the assorted bumptious brigands who shoot first and think later…if at all. The novelist also fills his tome with highly technical expertise regarding wondrous weapons, tactical operations, and even the latest artificial intelligence that can be used for good or ill. Within Cleggett’s structure, there’s an homage to Ian Fleming’s Bond-like gadgets, gimmicks, and general save-the-world scenarios. To his credit however, the Aussie author can ground his plot, pitfalls, and particular paraphernalia with an aura of seeming credibility that was lost once Hollywood got its hands on 007.

Cleggett manages to give the reader crisp and cinematic depictions not only of combat, but of place as well. His depictions of the sights and sounds found in the hustle and bustle of London make it seem as if you are right there with his protagonists and their better halves. In fact, the introduction and inclusion of the women in their lives is done with a nod to realism that takes their adventurous antics even farther from the imitation agents so often portrayed as promiscuous lady killers. Cleggett’s cops are into home and family as much as danger and daring do.

Swift pace, moral clarity, and occasional failures that offset successes, make this chronicle of international crime a wild ride worth taking. Are there cliffhangers? Of course. In fact, this is the eighth installment of Ballard and Henderson’s adventures. Do you need to read them all to keep up? Certainly not. But this reviewer thinks you just might want to.