Red Hot Sky- by Gordon Gumpertz

At first glance, Red Hot Sky reminded me of the movie Armageddon. The world was going to end, a man was going to save it, he gets the girl, and everything turns out picture perfect as world destruction is avoided once again. While this book contained some of those cliché elements, Gordon Gumpertz transforms this classic man versus nature battle into an action packed story of survival.

This adventure all begins with one man: Ben Mason. After years of research and models, Dr. Mason launches a supercomputer that will showcase the earth’s condition within the next couple of years. As he slowly scrolls through the projections, Dr. Mason uncovers a devastating fact: the earth will suffer a major drought that will devastate all of humanity. Dubbed as the Jupiter effect (because of the red, dry circles that will form because of the drought), Dr. Mason works with his partner and lover, Dr. Claudine Manet to save the world.

However, things take an interesting turn when attempts begin to be made on Ben’s life. From a sniper shooting at his moving car to being pushed to the edge of a ravine, Ben starts to deduce that his results may not be as private as he once thought. Hiring a private detective to accompany him to Geneva for a conference, Ben suddenly becomes entangled with the CIA as he becomes their new spy. Infiltrating Russia and discovering a secret plot formulated by dictator Yuri Kulganin, Ben is given a series of missions that will force him to become the world’s savior.

While the plot and details seem extremely overwhelming at first, Gumpertz cleverly pieces each puzzle piece together in a way that seems natural. Alternating chapters allow the reader to see multiple plots converging into one. The characters were endearing and acted in a realistic manner, and I especially liked how Gumpertz detailed the interactions and dialogues between Ben and Claudine. Instead of a cookie-cutter romance, Gumpertz created a strong, independent female that was not afraid to speak her mind and a romance that suffered ups-and-downs, much like any other natural relationship.

My only criticism of the book is that I did not enjoy the ending. Everything was wrapped up in a couple of sentences. I would have liked an open ending or Ben to step up to the plate and been more decisive. He seems a little wishy-washy in the final chapter which completely tarnished my view of him as a character. I think Gumpertz could have made this last chapter a bit more detailed, and while I appreciated him tying up loose ends, I hated how it was all bunched into one set of dialogue. Despite the shortcomings of the ending, Red Hot Sky is a well-written end of the world thriller, that will satisfy any reader.

4 stars

**I received a complimentary copy of this book to review. These are my honest and true opinions.