Heat

Starred review from May 30, 1994
Woods's sixth novel in three years is likely to follow its predecessors ( L.A. Times , etc.) onto bestseller lists. In this artfully plotted thriller, ex-DEA agent Jesse Warden, wrongly convicted of a murder he suspects was the work of Dan Barker, his former superior, is offered a chance at a presidential pardon if he will infiltrate the sinister religious cult that has taken control of St. Clair, Idaho. Despite knowing that he will again be under the control of Barker and that two previous agents investigating the cult have vanished, Jesse can't refuse. Going incognito, he gets a job at the town's only business not controlled by the cult and is brazenly seduced by his new landlady, lovely widow Jenny Weatherby. As Jesse sets out to win the confidence of the menacing head of the sect, Jack Gene Coldwater, he comes under close surveillance by Coldwater's two henchmen. In spite of some nearly fatal mistakes, however, he manages to gain the trust of the charismatic and seemingly psychic cult leader. Meanwhile, Jesse marries Jenny, who's pregnant. Faced with the catch-22 of how to deliver Coldwater and his ruthless subordinates to the treacherous Barker, whom he is sure will not come through with the promised pardon, Jesse must find a way to bring himself and his new family to freedom. The ending may strike readers as far too fortuitous, and the pardon premise is old hat ( The Dirty Dozen , etc.), but high melodrama and unexpected twists make this teflon-coated blockbuster business as usual in Wood's practiced hands. $100,000 ad/promo; Literary Guild super release and Doubleday Book Club alternate; author tour.

June 15, 1994
Unjustly imprisoned, bereft of wife and daughter, ex-DEA agent Jesse Warden is offered a daring gamble: if he can infiltrate and destroy a heavily armed religious cult, he can win his freedom. The previous two infiltrators have disappeared; the cult leaders are smart, wealthy, and completely amoral; Warden's landlady is beautiful and sexy. Do you feel you've heard all this before? The plot is so old it creaks, but there is a certain loopy and innocent amiability in the telling, as though the author cannot bear to disappoint his hero. There is much rushing about on all sides, surreptitious communications, hair-breadth escapes, and the inevitable (ever since the Branch Davidians) call-up of the military for the climactic battle. We get just about everything we expect, from fistfights to forged passports, and if several story threads are left dangling, Heat is still a satisfying beach-blanket read.-Elsa Pendleton, Boeing Information Svcs., Ridgecrest, Cal.

June 1, 1994
Woods' books, while often flawed, are always popular--witness the recent success of "L.A. Times", "Dead Eyes", and "Santa Fe Rules" (1992). This one, though, may deserve its likely bestsellerdom more than any of its predecessors. The mile-a-minute plot is clearly modeled on the Branch Davidian disaster, with Aryan Universe leader Jack Gene Coldwater playing the role of David Koresh and exerting control over a band of followers in Idaho. Enter Jesse Warden, former federal agent convicted of stealing confiscated drug money and killing his partner. Jesse is in prison for a good long stretch unless he's willing to do a deal with the government: a presidential pardon in return for infiltrating the cult and providing enough evidence to send Coldwater and his lieutenants to prison for life. Despite a few momentary lapses into banal predictability, Woods has concocted a high-octane story filled with nail-biting suspense and enough unusual twists to keep even experienced puzzle-solvers guessing. Buy plenty of copies--this one is as commercial as they come. ((Reviewed June 1994))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1994, American Library Association.)