A good, not great read, especially in comparison to some of Morrell's other works like First Blood, Scavenger, and Creepers. The plot is rooted somewhat in the real world as it revolves around a set of mysterious lights appearing nightly outside of Rostov, TX. (the real lights are located in Marfa, TX)
Morrell draws a connection between the lights and the possibility of a government coverup due to a devastating weapon created at the end of WWII.
Morrell provides the minimum in character development as he spends most of his pages talking about the lights and their effect on people. There are a number of stretches of suspended disbelief that readers must deal with in order to continue to buy into the plot. ( )

Thrills and mystery in The Shimmer

The story accelerates from a marriage in trouble into a world of intrigue, danger, and wonder. Loved the flying scenes! ( )

Good read. Not great but good. ( )

Strange lights appear in the sky above the town of Rostov, Texas. Dan Page’s wife disappears on the way to her mother’s house and is found mesmerized by the lights. When police officer Dan finds her with the help of the local police department the “shoot ‘em up” action starts. As much as I enjoy Mr. Morrell’s books I found this one just a little bit “pat”, like its been done one too many times before by too many others. The book does take interesting little side treks into the history of the town. In his author’s notes Mr. Morrell does always tell us where the idea for the book came from and his books are usually based on some tidbit from the news or from history. For me that does add to the story. He would get my nod for most interesting author’s notes in his books. ( )

Before reading The Shimmer I'd never heard of David Morrell although he's most famous for creating the character, John Rambo. I suppose this is one case where the author has been eclipsed by the creation.

The lights in Rostov, Texas are based on similar lights in Marfa, Texas (someplace I'd like to visit). I liked how he took a remote, yet known place, as the setting for the book and turned it into somewhere else. The story is well plotted. It's difficult to pin it down as a political thriller or science fiction so it's best not to even try. Overall I found it solidly written and a worthwhile vacation read. ( )