PROJECT:  SENTINEL

by James M. Jensen, Lakeside author

Reviewed by Tod Jonson

Once in a while you sit down to read an under-publicized new book, not expecting very much in the way of literature, or profound earth shattering climaxes every third page, or some revealing political tirade that spills more red herrings than you ever wanted to know.  Soon you lay the book aside and watch television but cannot keep you mind off the book.  However, once in awhile, you open a book of your choice for a fast time-killer read, but instead find that two days later, without stopping, you are reading the last pages with continued focus and total fascination.  It's rare, but it can happen.  It has to start with a good story and characters you love, strong points of interest that can get you personally involved, and you read straight through the night. Get ready for "Project: Sentinel" which is just such a book! 

        This newly published book is written to read and enjoy in the Raymond Chandler and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle genre when you, along with the lead character, finds yourself involved in a grizzly murder investigation and wind up fighting for your own life while on the run like an olympian.  It's even harder when you are a former Los Angeles police detective on the lam for a horrific crime you did not commit.  How you got there is the mystery... and worth every page of reading.

        It is quite likely that author, James Jensen, a recently retired law enforcement officer himself, makes you believe you are walking this straight line of terror with him because he has been there many times.  Calling on case histories enlivens the tension while you are glued to the page.  Fresh off the presses, this is a book that is really hard to lay down. 

        TV's Law & Order has nothing on Jensen, a real storyteller hard at work.