The Domino Vendetta by Adam Kennedy
- JetBlackDragonfly
- Feb 13
- 2 min read
This sequel to Adam Kennedy's The Domino Principle continues the story directly after the end of the first novel. If you have not read it, you might be lost. Written nine years later in 1984, it does a very good job replicating the tone, if not standing on its own.
"Five days after they killed his wife... they came to kill him."
Roy Tucker had been released from prison by a powerful unknown group, with unknown reasons, for an unknown job. The name of the game is assassination. As the last novel ends, everyone involved is being systematically killed off. The dominoes are falling.
Roy returns to Chile, where two men have been sent to kill him - but Roy is a faster shot. Travelling through South America on a stolen passport and money, the last two men in charge track him into the States. Roy visits Thelma's parents, we learn more about his own past, and who the top orchestrator is - Thomas Reser, the President's military advisor, about to address the UN assembly for a massive Middle East arms scheme. Reser has habitually siphoned money off Vietnam war contracts into his private account. Sounds about right.
The only man Roy can turn to is his old friend Applegate, who has disappeared with secrets of his own. Roy learns the only escape from permanent chaos is an eye for an eye; a tooth for a tooth - as all the pawns involved have been murdered, he must hunt down the last remaining architects. They can no longer kill him; he's already dead.
The first novel was more action oriented and darkly paranoid. This is a cross-country cat and mouse game more than a political thriller. It lacks the momentum of the first novel, but if you enjoyed The Domino Principle, this continues characters and nicely finishes the story.
This sequel incorporates a few ideas in its first chapter that came directly from the 1977 film starring Gene Hackman and Candice Bergen (which notoriously no one liked, but it deserves another chance). The film also added unnecessary lines making Tucker more innocent (perhaps to please Gene Hackman), which is fine as Adam Kennedy wrote both the novel and the screenplay.
Recommended only to readers of The Domino Principle.
Both novels are easily available in eBook formats.
More conspiracy thriller reviews:
1984 / Tradeback / 193 pages
Nice review; I love these old-school conspiracy thrillers. I thought it was a good follow up to the first book, especially the additional background on the conspiracy and Roy Tucker's life (see my review at https://department17.blogspot.com/2022/02/the-domino-vendetta.html ). Anyway nice blog, looking forward to more reviews.