Ray Derby
Ray Derby
Book Reviews
The Shadow Government
2002 Book of the Year Award finalist  (mystery
fiction category) by the ForeWord Magazine.
Morgan Book Reviews - Feb. 10, 2003
"The Shadow Government - This excellent book should be required reading for every
American citizen. Mr. Derby has the magic of drawing the reader into the action he has
created. His credentials in the emergency management field reveals, in a realistic
manner, how each community could easily find itself on the verge of destruction. This
book is Terrorism in action...and how the American spirit can survive...freedom is the
standard. Meet the spirit of America exemplified by the characters of Norm Shepard
and Nate Sems. Rich reading full of characters you want to know."....Vicki Morgan
Mohr Reviews - Feb. 21, 2003
Copyright 2003 Rick Mohr, All Rights Reserved.
Sometimes fiction is used for escapism - adventuring on the high seas with a band of
cutthroat pirates, or walking the surface of some distant planet. Sometimes it is used
for wish fulfillment- being able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, or pilot an
X-wing fighter down through the trenches to destroy the Death Star. However,
sometimes, as is the case I think with The Shadow Government by Ray Derby, it is a
thinly veiled cover for what he knows is actually either going on, or could well be
coming up, in our world today, and that scares me.
I know since 9/11 every time you turn on the TV or pick up a paper, there seems that
there is some new attack about to be leveled against the United States. I am not the
first to say that these are troubled times we live in, nor will I be the last. We go up on
the alert chart to a color we have never been at before, and everyone panics, then
when nothing happens, we drop back down, breathe a sigh of relief, hug our children
closer, and go back about our lives. However, what if they lowered the alert too soon?
What if the attack is so silent, so secretive that we have no inside knowledge of it at
all until it is too late? No missiles, no bombs, but attacked by weapons of a biological
nature that can kill most of our citizens in days, showing no trace of violence left
behind. Warfare upon this country that is apocalyptic in its devastation, and far
reaching in its ramification. The thought, troubling as it might be, lends itself to a
compelling thriller that I could not put down. Oh, I tried believe me, I tried. I mean,
this story actually bothered me, it seemed so real, but I found myself being drawn back
like a moth to a flame until I had to finish.
They always say, whoever they are, that a writer writes best when it comes to
something he knows about, and boy is that evident here. Author Ray Derby has been
in the center of the beltway of D.C, under five presidents, providing information on
chemical, biological, and radiological personal protection. He has been with the Civil
Defense in a high level capacity, and a Federal Emergency Coordinator. It is hard for
me to believe that this is the first novel he has written, it reads like the work of a
Master at the Craft. His situations genuinely compelling and believable, his plots and
action truly spellbinding, and the storyline moves at such a pace that the few seconds it
takes to turn a page was agony. He has created characters that I cared about, and
found myself on more than one occasion, commenting out loud over what I had just
read. Luckily, there was no one else around at the time.
I don't know if it is the timing of the novel or just the fact that it is so darn good, but
Mr. Derby is on his way to being one of the big names of political thrillers if there is
any justice in this world, and it will be an honor bestowed upon him that is richly and
rightfully deserved. If you like edge of the seat white knuckle page turning thrillers
that will keep you not only guessing but wanting more, then I implore you to pick up
this book. It is one of the most well written thrillers of its type I have ever read, and
my highest recommendation goes out to this novel.