Today I’m taking part in the virtual book tour organised by France Book Tours for The Shiro Project by David Khara. This is the second book in the Consortium Thriller series.
This book follows on from The Bleiberg Project, but works well as a standalone thriller. The plot is excellent. The historical background comes from Shiro Ishii, the Japanese General who was in charge of the notorious Unit 731. Named Epidemic Prevention and Water Purification Department, also the Special Research Unit, the unit was given the job of developing chemical and biological weapons for the Imperial Japanese Army. After the war the US Government gave Ishii amnesty in return for the unit’s secrets and never brought him to trial for his horrific crimes.
Our hero, Eytan is a very engaging character. In this venture he collaborates with Elena, another product of the Bleiberg Project, and there is a lot of tension between the two. They travel from Prague to Tokyo looking for any connection between Unit 731 and a new group that is committing chemical attacks. There seems to be a link with the Shinje Company so it seems likely the terrorist acts are in revenge for the destruction that Japan suffered at the end of the war. The novel’s ending is certainly unexpected.
The author has an easy-to-read and clear style. This means that although the plot is quite complex, we don’t lose track. The action is fast-paced and there’s never a dull moment. However, that doesn’t meant that character development suffers. We get inside our protagonist and understand what drives all the people we meet. An original, eye-opening and entertaining read.
Here’s an excerpt:
The woman gave herself a few seconds to re?ect, adjusting the bun at the nape of her neck. She reinserted two pins in her blond hair and then spoke solemnly.
“We’re studying the reactions of test subjects injected with agents and creating the proper countermeasures. I don’t see how access to storage units with viral strains concerns us.”
“The company line, as usual. I’m convinced there’s a hidden agenda.”
“Then go complain to the authorities. I’m not stopping you. While you’re concocting your dark theories, I’ll be in the lab,” she said as she glanced at the clock on the wall. “Time for the daily log. The of?ce is all yours.”
“Say hi to the guinea pigs for me.”
Jane left the room and headed toward the elevators. She waved to the two military police of?cers patrolling the hallway. They always looked so creepy, more the punch-in-your-face sort than the type inclined to give a respectful salute. The elevator doors slid open, and she scurried inside. Neville’s skeptical nature was borderline eccentric. But he was right about life being too short. And working at the US Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases had been weighing on her since her son Sean’s birth. Her husband supported her career and did his part at home. She felt privileged. Most other women were stuck being housewives, not because they had chosen the life, but because it was expected, and there were few alternatives. Jane hoped that she could serve as a role model for other women who yearned for more independence and opportunity. But she missed her son, and she could not wait for the workweek to end so that she could go home and enjoy those three days with her boy and her man.
About the author:
French author David Khara, a former reporter, top-level sportsman, and entrepreneur, has always been a writer.
After studying law, he stepped into journalism working for Agence France Press,
and then became creative director for several advertising companies.
He loves new technologies and started his own company at the age of twenty-four,
becoming an online business pioneer for French industries.
He then focused his life on writing fiction.
In 2010, he published The Blieberg Project, which became an immediate success in France.
David Khara is also an accomplished athlete in fencing and rubgy, and he even played football as a linebacker.
He acknowledges that his culture is a much American as it is French, since he spent a lot of time in West Virginia and Manhattan,
and is an avid fan of writers such as Dennis Lehane.
Buy the book
The book is available as an ebook from all the Amazon stores, and as a paperback, again from Amazon and other online bookstores, but from bookshops too.