Wings of Fear

The coastline of Queensland stretches some 6973 km (or 4333 miles) and protecting it is a daunting prospect, particularly in the sparsely populated region of the far north which is vulnerable as a point for illegal entry to Australia. Coastal surveillance is a huge operation involving patrol by sea and air and Helene Young, a pilot herself, recognised it's unique potential as a setting for Wings of Fear. In Wings of Fear, Captain Morgan Pentland is a pilot for the Border Watch fleet in far north Queensland. When Customs Agent Rafe Daniels joins her crew, it becomes obvious that he has an agenda Morgan and her team are not privy to. Acting on suspicions of a leak in the fleet Rafe has Morgan under close surveillance, concerned that the information is being used to create an opportunity for terrorist activity. By the time the truth is uncovered, Morgan and Rafe have just days to thwart a plot to blow up one of the country's busiest harbours, Circular Quay. Balancing action, adventure, mystery and romance is something Helene Young proves she is skilled at over the length of this novel. From the first page I was captured by the mystery of the murdered man and then quickly absorbed in the adventure of patrolling Queensland's coastline by air. By the time Morgan and her crew were shot down by a surface to air missile I was turning the pages as fast as I could. It wasn't only the exciting pace of the story that had me engrossed, the characters in Wings of Fear are well developed and interesting personalities. Morgan has come from a background of violence and intimidation, issues she is struggling with in her current relationship despite her best intentions to not repeat the mistakes of her mother. Intelligent and down to earth, Morgan is an admirable protagonist who is easy to relate to. Rafe has already been the victim of a terrorist act that decimated his team and the hunt for the spy within Border Watch is both professionally and personally motivated. Though he has the traits of a fairly typical romance hero- handsome and strong with a touch of arrogance, he has a emotional depth that is appealing. I also enjoyed the supporting characters, Laurie as the incurable flirt and Gavin, the more serious member of Morgan's flight crew. The author is able to build tension around the identity of spy amongst them and though the clues are there, doubt keeps the reader guessing. What particularly struck me in Wings of Fear is Young's ability to evoke the Australian people, culture and place without resorting to cliche phrases or over the top references. I can't tell you how rare that is, and how much it added to my enjoyment of the novel. In particular, the dialogue has a genuine Australian 'accent' with a cadence that is natural and familiar. Wings of Fear heralds wonderful things to come from Helene Young with a second book, Shattered Sky released recently (to be reviewed soon) and a third to be published mid year. With a unique sense of place, engaging characters and an interesting story, Wings of Fear is an entertaining and exciting read.