The meeting is far different than Voort imagines. Meechum is agitated and ill at ease. He says little of his present activities other than to warn Voort that something fantastic is happening and gives him a cocktail napkin on which he has written a list of five names with their addresses. Meechum offers little else saying he needs a bit more time and, if he can do “it” his way, things should work out. He urges Voort to check out the names he has given him and promises to meet Voort for dinner soon and explain everything.

Unfortunately, this is the last time Voort sees Meechum. Voort proceeds to do as his friend suggested and tries to contact the people on the list. He finds that three of the five have died within the past two years in accidents, but have no connection with each other. Digging further, Voort begins to suspect that the accidents were very well executed murders, and the other two people on the list may be in danger.

The first, Frank Greene, has recently moved leaving no forwarding address. The second lives and works in Manhattan. She is Dr. Jill Towne, a specialist in tropical diseases. She refuses to believe Voort’s theory that she is a potential target until she almost succumbs to carbon monoxide poisoning in her apartment. Reluctantly she agrees to help Voort in his attempt to unravel the mystery of the three deaths and any possible connection between the five people.

Essentially a thriller based on potential terrorist attacks, All the Dead were Strangers contains a number of writing techniques that were unappealing to me. Told in the third person, the story primarily follows the actions of Conrad Voort in his quest to discover the significance of the list of names given to him by an old friend. However, periodically, the author switches his focus and details the activities of an unnamed character (presumably the antagonist). Since Mr. Black gives no background on this character, it is a bit difficult to follow what this fellow is doing and why he is doing it, not to mention any connection with Voort and his list. Also, there are periodic flashbacks to Voort’s childhood, the significance of which is unclear other than to establish how Voort’s character is a product of his early years. These transitions are less abrupt than the ones in which the focus changes from Voort to the unnamed antagonist, but do little to further the plot. Additionally there are vague references to things that happened to Voort in the more recent past, presumably in another book, which are confusing to a first time reader.

This novel is plot driven. What emerges from Voort’s initial enquiry is the suspicion that the United States is vulnerable to terrorism from an assortment of individuals or groups that operate both outside the country and within its borders .What law enforcement or the government can do to forestall these atrocities without infringing on individual’s freedom is subject to speculation. The book was written in 2001, presumably before the events of September 11, so at least one person (the author) was concerned about such threats. The response of some concerned citizens to such treats is nothing short of terrifying. Those readers who enjoy intrigue and danger from an almost ethereal source will certainly relate to this story. No having read any other books by Mr. Black, I am not sure whether Voort usually encounters this type of adversary, but I am sure followers of his previous exploits will be eager to catch up with him again.

--Andy Plonka