Really Good Read

I feel a little like I've been riding in a car with faulty brakes, they keep being viciously applied and then suddenly released allowing the car to resume at high speed, only to have the brakes suddenly applied once again. The plot will be going along nicely, the writing suitably intricate, and then, bang, something stupid and I'm wondering, why am I listening to this?

Part of the problem comes from the nature of all conspiracy stories, true or otherwise: you have to suspend all rational belief as the number of people who are needed to control the conspiracy spirals totally out of control. The stock characters will be familiar to those of us who read these books. The three who finally unravel the case, against all odds, of course, are a poster for diversity: a Korean police lieutenant, an African-American (of lower rank, naturally, but extremely talented) and a good old American white boy lieutenant colonel with a square jaw who has a lovely wife and 2.5 children. The villains are straight out of central casting.

Rereading what I just wrote makes it sound like I didn't like the book. Not true. It's just a little too formulaic, but as this was one of Davis's earlier books, perhaps he became more fluent in later works. As with any in this genre, my expectations weren't high. I just wanted to be entertained. It was a good book to listen to while mowing.

Plot summaries are everywhere, no need for me to. ( )

Excellent ( )