This is a bit like a mix of James Rollins and David Morrell or Michael Crichton--the writing isn't as polished, but the action is here, and the book as a whole is a good read for the most part. It moves like an action movie, and generally the flow of the book is smooth. At the same time, I do think a bit more heavy editing and a more focused approach might have benefited the book as a whole, since the plot had so much potential that the writing just didn't quite live up to at times.

There are some aspects of writing that grated on my nerves after a while (enough that I won't reread this, whereas I will reread James Rollins or David Morrell), but on the upside, I can see Miller moving beyond them in later books. The first was quotes---at times, the book was just trying too hard to be literary instead of allowing itself to just live up to its own potential. As such, characters and notes regularly spouting famous and not-so-famous quotes got old quickly, as did some description that ventured too close to cliches. Other than that, I'd only say that the book's one frustration is that, for the number of characters Miller introduces, the book needed to be longer, or needed to focus in on fewer characters instead of attempting to make all of them both memorable and sympathetic. I think the book would have been stronger for more time spent wih a few characters and less with others, or else with a more balanced approach that didn't try to move back and forth between being a traditionally-diagrammed romance and technical action novel. It seemed as if two books were crushed into one at times, and I felt that I was being asked to sympathize with or understand some characters who just weren't there enough for me to really understand or care for.

On the whole, though, I enjoyed this enough to venture into Miller's later work, at least long enough to read a chapter or two and see if the writing has reached the next level. If you do enjoy James Rollins or action-romance books in general, this might not be a bad choice for a relaxing read. ( )

Rating: 3.75* of five

The Publisher Says: A new explosive packs the punch of a 500lb. bomb at microdot size. Who has the dots and where are they going to use them? Problem is - they could be anywhere. Chinese-American competition to extend the periodic table to the next island of stability yields an unexpected result - a microdot explosive. Whoever achieves stability first will have the upper hand - or will they? Not everyone in China favors its new capitalism. New revolutionaries aim at the core of consumption culture. Export MDOT-E in commercial goods and the resulting chaos and panic will precipitate a revolution. The Defense Intelligence Agency must put the pieces together. Their plan tricks former lovers and ex-DIA agents Mitchell Reid and Cole Taylor into working together again. They are a volatile pair, a gutsy choice for a covert mission rushing from Macau to Tokyo to Shanghai. Only Reid and Cole stand in the way of sinister forces. Even a successful operation might not prevent a world of hurt.

My Review: I'm on record as a thriller reader by choice. I choose these entertainments carefully, because a bad thriller is a worse read than a bad example of almost every other genre. This thriller was a LibraryThing Member Giveaway, as it was self-published by the author.

I liked it very much. I'd even go out and buy one. It's nicely written, plausibly plotted, tautly paced, and--for a wonder--actually edited! Most amateur writer/self-publishers don't pay enough attention to the role of an editor in the creation of a good novel. Mr. Miller did. He got good advice, I can see, because the plot holes are few and far between, but also because the thread of a book, the argument it makes about the world, is so consistent.

The settings...Asia's Muslim parts, different bits of China for the most part...are hot spots in the world, so it makes a lot of sense to set a thriller there. It's nice, and fairly unexpected, to see that the politics of the region are thought through and the conclusions the author posits are well supported by the information presented in the book itself.

The main character, Cole Taylor, is well enough drawn to make me suspect that a series is planned. If so, that's a darn good thing. Off-the-shelf woman heroes as written by men are no more interesting than their off-the-shelf male counterparts. Cole is a woman I could enjoy following around.

I expect that Miller will grow as a writer, blowing past the inevitable infelicities of style and occasional lapses of imagination that *every* writer needs to work out and shake off. That there were as few as exist in Islands of Instability is another reason I hope more self-published writers will hire Miller's editor, whoever s/he may be!

Recommended for thriller readers who are getting jaded, for those interested in China's increasing economic and political and military ascendency, and for adventurous lady readers who want a flawed, real heroine to enjoy. ( )