The attack is to occur in two days on November 4th - Presidential Election Day and current thinking is that it will take place at the polling booths. The candidates, Governor William Stark is campaigning in Chicago and on his way to LA while Vice-President Newman is in the South, are apprised of the situation. Five multidisciplinary teams are created for "Operation Daybreak."

Stillwater is assigned to the LA team with his old friend/lover Cassandra O'Reilly whose expertise is in nuclear weapons. Derek and O'Reilly enlist the help of Greg Popovich, an "intelligence asset" they have worked with before. Greg tips them off of an imam (an Islamic leader) who may be involved.     

A contemporaneous investigation is ongoing in Pakistan with FBI agent Dale Hutchins and his Pakistani liaison Frito. They are tasked to find Kalikar - "The Artisan" - who was the only terrorist to escape the raid. They discover that an informant who aided Kalikar's escape is murdered but question why all of the terrorists did not escape. When they interrogate the one terrorist who was captured and survived the raid, Hutchins learns that Kalikar is Miraj Khan, a former art history teacher.  

The Valley of Shadows is the fourth book in the must read Derek Stillwater series. While this was not his best effort, Mark Terry still provides the reader with an abundance of action and a hero whose determination, intelligence, and insight allow him to prevail against all odds.

Terry does not overwhelm the reader with technical detail. Nor does he impose his political ideologies. Rather, Terry uses action to propel the story. I thought there was a bit more character development in The Valley of Shadows than in prior Derek Stillwater books. While there are also references to characters (Irina Kournikova) who played a more prominent role in prior novels, this will not distract a first-time reader. Thanks Mark Terry for another excellent read.

--Jerry Solot