K.J. McCall

With the conflicting romantic shades of the movie Witness interlaced throughout, and a frightening, but all too realistic possibility of government run health care, "Set Apart" is an apt title for McCall's debut novel. The gritty crime, corruption, and scheming of Washington, D.C.
is contrasted with an idyllic Pennsylvania community. Power and prestige is placed next to family values and neighborly relations.

A federal health care system enjoys its one year anniversary. Gordon Sand, a Washington detective, is seeing a connection between missing people who suddenly turn up a few days later with no memory of what happened. To relieve the pressure of the job, he takes weekend visits to his brother's family in Dorsey, Pennsylvania, where he slowly falls in love with a widowed
neighbor. Sand must come to terms with his two clashing worlds, while seeking answers to the strange cases. Meanwhile, Sand’s siblings, both involved in the medical care field (he a doctor, she a part of the federal health care administration), see the problems in the grand plan come to
fruition and wonder about the future effects they will have on the populace.

"Set Apart" paints a picture that is sometimes difficult to believe for some of its descriptions. Dorsey seems a little too perfect. However, it is a decent example of Americans just living out their lives. On the other hand, you have the elite pulling strings and manipulating people's lives.
While one part of the plot smacks of 'urban legend' (the one where one wakes up in a bathtub full of ice and discovers he's missing a kidney), the prospect of being judged by a criteria set by those in control, is all too real and scary. Don't expect too much gun-toting action or suspenseful
adventure with this one. Instead, enjoy a little thought provoking insight into a 'could be' world of tomorrow.

Review written by Stephen L. Brayton, author of "Night Shadows" and "Beta" for Suspense Magazine… (más)