Piercing the Veil

 Author's Summary

A warrior with the constitutional forbearance of a diamond and the intellectual agility of a Delphic oracle, Lieutenant Commander Grant Chisolm leads his exceptionally trained and equipped SEAL team into the heart of darkness. His quest to rescue hostages taken by the charismatic and cunning leader of a major insurgency in sub-Saharan African forces him to confront the irrationality of malevolent genius, bureaucratic quackery posing as government, and the link between a man's past indiscretions and present death and destruct

MWSA Review

A story of military intelligence from 1941 and the days before the OSS and CIA to the present day and a highly qualified team of SEALs. Lt. Commander Grant Chisolm leads the SEAL team on a secret meeting to rescue hostages and in the process learns the true mission of his life.

Like many thrillers, Piercing the Veil has many twists and turns, and you never know what will happen next. However, Wentz takes us an important step further. The action and suspense of the well-thought out plot is accompanied by multiple layers, knowledge of historical events, a strong sense of description of places and events, and well-developed characters. 

Beyond the plot, it's the story of countries at conflict, military strategy and a man's moral dilemma. Lt. Commander Grant Chisolm's hostage rescue assignment is complicated by the need to understand the past. 
Wentz develops his characters into complex people who struggle with good and evil.

The story displays the author's knowledge of military affairs, history and the human mind. I recommend this book to anyone who likes fast-paced action and a good read.

Reviewed by: Pat McGrath Avery (2009)