Surrounded by Witnesses Paperback – June 30, 2007

This book takes place in the winter in MINNESOTA...with terrorists coming over the Canadian border (just how safe ARE we?)...but they are not who you think of as terrorists. This book is a real THRILLER and will keep you up at night,turning the pages just because you can't put it down! It's THAT good!

The novel has an interesting premise: a Muslim terrorist scout team is heading for the middle of the middle west in order to set up some kind of attack. They travel as a family and with typical short-view planning, and come down from Canada into the Upper Midwest during the height of winter. This of course means blizzards, disruption of timing and attendant growing rage from the family's controllers.The novel centers on the family's interaction with an intensely rural Minnesota family of taciturn Scandinavians. Swede and Heidi and their children are the epitome of type. Manifold difficulties rise to hamper the progress of the terrorist unit toward their intended target. The novel is replete with high tech maneuvering which at times gets in the way of human interaction and the pace of the novel.I was bothered at times by the remote language of the narration, disconcerting shifts of points of view, and a few clichéd characters. That said, the story line is interesting, but at 330 pages, this trade paper novel could have benefited from some judicious editing. At times the language, including the dialogue, is stilted and awkward. Those caveats aside, this is an enjoyable novel.