Island Terror, copyright, assumed published, and written by Jo Carey.
Dr. Gina Talbot is a herpetologist working in San Diego at one of the few positions available in the world studying the carnivorous Komodo Dragons. She and fellow worker Chris, like every person in the profession, has applied for and again been turned down in their annual request for advanced study of these reptiles in their native habitat. However, she learns about a former Navy Seal who reportedly had encountered a number of them on a small, apparently uncharted atoll relatively close to Hawaii. She is able to contact the man, Cooper, discovers that it not only is true, but that he had lost his entire compliment of men in the encounter. Because their existence was not believed, Cooper was retired as suffering from PTSD. She is intrigued with the thought of finding such a group of these reptiles and he would love to be able to verify that his report was true. So, with money left to her by a relative, she initiates a small investigative expedition. The story continues as the expedition gets under way, arrives at the small atoll after experiencing a horrific storm, encounters the Dragons with terrifying results, encounter a betrayal and finally evolves at a climax followed by a pertinent epilogue.
Discussion: This is a short, ‘quick’ read that has some difficulty getting to the basic plot. At first the reader is introduced to a protagonist whose ‘love life’ is non-existent until several prospects appear once the expedition begins to evolve. About half of the tale is preparatory to the actual major event, but once begun, it moves at a good pace. So, if one is looking for a tale that fills a few free hours and ultimately provides some suspense, you might enjoy this somewhat unusual tale.
3* Unusual tale to fill a few hours of free time.
