The Devil's Halo

By Chris Fox

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0099451891
• ISBN13: 9780099451891
• Release Date: January 2006
• Publisher: Arrow Books Ltd
• Length: 656 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.

Customer Reviews

A futuristic story that may not be so furturistic

Terry Weston is an agent of the CIA Café or Contract Agents for Economics. He is a spy in a game where there aren't a lot of guns, death or people getting badly hurt. His wife, Maria, works as a consultant to DAPRA, the Pentagon's Advanced Research Projects Agency. They have a six-year-old daughter named Ariana. The whole terrible tragedy starts with a movie master copy being stolen. The catch - it has military-level encryption. Terry is asked to help. That is no problem. What happens after that is something that I hope only happens in this book. But with the happenings of 9/11, I can believe anything is possible. Once Terry has made the movie useless to the people who stole it, it only gets worse. Now the American government wants Terry and Maria to help them and use their daughter as leverage. The new European group, no more United Nations, wants to make sure that America doesn't control space. By doing so, our GPS systems are targeted and in making the final effort, they create a trapped-radiation event that causes an aurora called "The Devil's Halo". Why is this significant? If I told you, it would spoil the book. I am not up on military strategy but I was able to follow "who did what to whom" and "who's on first" in Mr. Fox's book. You need to pay attention to the characters and make sure you know which side they play on. Also Mr. Fox writes with the ability to put in unexpected twists and turns making this book hard to put down. The very last twist is one I never saw coming. The bottom line -- grab a copy and get reading to find out just how good this book is. I would especially recommend it to anyone who loves military strategy but even if that is not your genre, it is still a book that will hold your interest to the very end.

It is not the story that is important but rather the way you tell it.

The possibility of a terrorist attack haunts all of us. However, have you ever thought about the prospect of some of America's European allies deciding one day that they had enough of American dominance and hegemony, particularly in space, and they contrive to level the playing field? This may be "fiction land," however, after reading Chris Fox's The Devil's Halo you may not be so certain that it could not happen. As our novel begins, a movie producer reveals to an American economic spy, Terry Weston, that the master copy of his soon to be released movie, Red Crescent was stolen. Even more disturbing is that the master copy was secured with hack-proof military-level encryption-the same technology used by the Pentagon's military computers. Weston is coerced in tracking down the master copy. Eventually, as a result of the brilliance of his wife, Maria, who is a scientist from the Pentagon's Advanced Projects Agency, the security breach is solved. However, as the Weston's and our readers discover, the theft was not just a matter of industrial espionage, but rather something more sinister, wherein the leaders of France and Russia are plotting electronic warfare on the US military and its Space Shield. Their rationalization is based on their contention that the USA would extend its mighty power to control space militarily and deny its use to adversaries. More alarming is that the leaders of both France and Russia are being manipulated and maneuvered, like puppets on a string, by some unsavory characters that care little about the consequences of their actions, even if it means total destruction of their respective countries. Moreover, the French head of state, Broissard, is soon to be sworn in as the President of the Greater European Union that now includes Russia as one of its members. France manages to maneuver its way into becoming the leader of an expanded Europe while simultaneously using Russia's muscle and its aerospace expertise. Unfortunately, Germany is a victim of a scandalous ploy on the part of the French which eventually causes its financial bankruptcy. Nothing seems to make sense in the world of espionage, as the author strings an intricate web among all of the actors in the novel. Fox is a superb story teller and you have to admit he seems to have done a great deal of research, although at times, I did find that I was being jerked around with a whole mix of over burdensome events. However, eventually Fox manages to neatly and effortlessly wrap it all up, where everything comes together, and confirms the old adage that it is not the story that is important but rather the way you tell it. The pacing and engaging plot with all of its creative espionage gadgetry, reminiscent of a James Bond movie, is extremely good, and the dialogue-driven novel is difficult to put down once you get started. Should we look forward to a possible movie based on the book or perhaps a sequel, where husband and wife team Terry and Maria Weston are

a wild ride of a read

This action adventure spy story is a wild ride of a read. From the very beginning readers will be sucked into the story and held captive for however long it takes to accomplish the mission of devouring the entire book. Terry Weston, a contract CIA agent, is not usually directly in harm's way. His typical assignments don't involve killing machine watchdog men, irrational Russian masterminds, pleading with the Secretary of Defense for do or die assistance, or global failure of the Global Positioning System's satellites. But this isn't your typical story and so Terry takes on an assignment, to retrieve a stolen movie file worth billions, and finds himself in much deeper trouble than he ever anticipated. What's more is that his wife, a power to admire in herself, and their six-year-old daughter, become deeply involved as well. Nothing is what it seems in the spy world. You can't trust anyone but yourself, and possibly your spouse. This leaves Terry and his wife Maria in some tight spots, but also with the best possible partners they could ask for. Throughout the book their missions turn from one objective to the next, each more dangerous than the one before. Each chapter grows more intense and suspenseful. It basically comes down to the Weston's saving the world...as best as they can. Chris Fox's "The Devil's Halo" is a well-written web of fictional suspense, technological intrigue, and entertaining story with personable appeal. His characters, as highly specialized as they are, are downright human and likable. His plot is intricate and enticing, fast paced, and well executed. I don't normally read tales of technological intrigue nor those of spy infiltrated storylines, but I very much enjoyed this one. I highly recommend the read to anyone with an inkling of an interest in these things. I wouldn't be at all surprised if this book were made into a movie in the very near future. The plot has some points that I will not discuss so as not to give them away, but I can say that the ideas presented here are right on target for today's adventure and "what if?" fans. Review by Heather Froeschl.

A masterful spy thriller for the twenty-first century

The Devil's Halo is an incredible, addictive thriller that will have you racing through its pages - especially if you're an American. The whole plot revolves around an act of sabotage and ultimate betrayal by those claiming to be America's friends. France and Russia join forces in an attempt to cripple the American defense system in one overpowering, electronic blow by taking out the GPS network of the United States (and thereby the greater part of America's capability to defend itself militarily). In this plausible future setting, NATO has crumbled as the Greater European Union has grown strong, with France and Russia pulling all its strings. Having consolidated their power over Europe, the new partners take steps to remove the only nation capable of holding them in check - with a brilliantly devious plan that the Americans will never see coming. America's only hope lies in an American economic spy and his wife, a brilliant scientist from the Pentagon's Advanced Research Projects Agency. Terry Weston went to Moscow to reclaim a stolen movie disk, having no clue that he would soon become the sole line of defense against what would soon become known as E-Day. The stolen movie's importance lay in its encryption, which was based on the Pentagon's own stalwart encryption. Someone had decrypted it, and the CIA needed to know who, how, and why. Economic spies normally don't see a whole lot of James Bond-type action, but Weston, with his wife and little girl in imminent danger themselves, is compelled to go above and beyond the call of duty in service to his country. The Westons have some remarkable high-tech gadgetry at their disposal that provides them with intelligence they could never have gotten the old-fashioned way. They can only stay a step ahead of the enemy for so long, however, and that is when things get really tricky. Weston finds himself cutting deals with bad guys even as he questions whom he can really trust among the good guys - there's a mole somewhere close, personally connected with his wife's military-industrial father. To make matters worse, the powers that be back home aren't inclined to listen to his dire warnings of an imminent national defense disaster. The story doesn't end with the arrival of E-Day, either; in fact, that's when things really get interesting. The Devil's Halo is a meticulously crafted thriller that covers a lot of ground (with activity taking place across three continents as well as outer space). I can only hope the high-tech espionage and technological intrigues of the book aren't as plausible as Fox makes them sound - this book is quite realistic enough to be a little bit scary. Many pundits (and non-pundits like myself) believe a showdown of one sort or another between America and Europe is inevitable. Russia is an ally in name only, France - well, don't even get me started on France, and the issue of planetary defense has already played a major role in modern history. The specter of

I really enjoyed this one...

I've actually had a bit more time lately for recreational reading, and I decided to start a book I was sent by an author... The Devil's Halo by Chris Fox. It's an excellent cyber-war novel, and it's a future not hard to imagine... Fast forward a few years into the future... The United States is one of the most despised nations in Europe (and in the rest of the world, for that matter). Their military posture is intolerable to many, and especially in terms of how they view space. The European Union has decided to include Russia for their space technology, and the French leadership of the Union wants to strike a decisive blow to America's military superiority. The plan is to launch an "electronic Pearl Harbor" that will strip America of any technological advantage. Terry Weston and his wife are sent over to Russia to recover a stolen movie file encrypted with "unbreakable" military encryption. He was an economic spy for many years, but he thought he was out of the game. A little blackmail brings him back in against his will. After recovering the movie, the "E-Day" scenario starts to heat up, and he's once again coerced into continuing the spy game. This type of life-and-death espionage isn't his forte, but he's the only asset on the ground. The plot is uncovered, but the question is whether he'll stay alive long enough to get the information back to the proper authorities.... or if they'll even listen if he does... I enjoyed this book a lot, and on a number of levels... For one, I enjoyed the cyber-warfare angle. It's becoming a more important tool to both use and attack, and it adds a whole new element to the art of war. Next, the scenario of America as an international pariah seems to be more realistic each day. The near-future world that Fox paints in the novel isn't a stretch, and the headlines aren't that far away. And finally, this isn't necessarily a "good guys win, bad guys lose, and life goes on" story. Actions happen that have ramifications for all sides, and "winning" can also mean "losing"... Definitely a recommended read that will keep you turning pages even as the hour grows late...