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The Valley of Death

Gwynne Huntington Wales
iUniverse (2007)
ISBN 9780595418893
Reviewed by Kam Aures for RebeccasReads (3/08)

“The Valley of Death” begins in the namesake valley in Northeast Iraq in November of 2002.  CIA agent Jan Vandermeer, protecting his true identity by using the call sign of “Aardvark” is positioned in the valley with instructions to be on the lookout for Iraqi Army Activity.  After three days he spots a group of six Iraqi men entering the secluded area on some sort of mission.  As he sits and watches them, he ponders as to why there is no sign of any wildlife or insects in the area.  It dawns on him that it could be the water in the lake that is the issue.  Insects and animals need water to survive.  He wonders if maybe the water could be contaminated in some way and makes a mental note to take a sample back with him to have it analyzed.  His question is answered when he watches as one of the Iraqi men goes over to the lake and gets a drink of the water.  Within minutes the man is dead. 

It is discovered that within the lake is a canister of VX nerve gas.  One end of the canister is rusted thus accounting for the seepage into the lake.  However the amount that escaped was only minimal and there is a large quantity of deadly gas remaining inside the canister.  With high-tech surveillance the CIA monitors the Iraqi’s removal of the gas and makes the decision to trail the canister in hopes of determining who the recipient is going to be before they try to intercept it.  What follows is a suspenseful two-week tracking operation through the Middle East interjected with a little bit of romance when Aardvark is paired up with another agent, “Sophia,” with whom he becomes intimately close.

“The Valley of Death” is a phenomenally written debut novel.  The author biography states that Wales is “a former U.S. Navy pilot with operational experience in the eastern Mediterranean” and “also a retired international lawyer who practiced in Brussels, Ankara, and New York.”  His prior work experience definitely must have had a hand in providing him with the knowledge necessary to write such a detailed and convincing international thriller. 

The work is well-organized and the maps provided in the center are very helpful in following the route of the tracking mission.  Although the book is quite lengthy, over 400 pages, the pages just fly by with the many twists and turns along the way.  It is very hard to put down until you know exactly where the canister is headed and what the end result is going to be.  I highly recommend “The Valley of Death” to anyone who enjoys engaging, thought-provoking thrillers!


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