Registered by members of BCinDC.

This book was one of those given to BCinDC at the Gaithersburg Book Festival last weekend to share through BookCrossing.

I really think I'm over Dan Brown, but this is the only one of his novels I haven't read yet, so I'll give it a try. Will I be able to overlook the inaccuracies and wildly improbable plot twists and just enjoy it as a thrill ride, or will the distractions drive me off the cliff? I guess we'll find out...

Some of Dan Brown’s more recent novels have left me annoyed and disappointed. Enjoying a thriller, especially the kind he writes, clearly requires the reader to suspend disbelief and just enjoy the ride, but there are limits to how far an author can stretch the story and still bring the reader along. Thankfully, this book manages to stay within that stretchable limit. Yes, the plot is implausible. And yes, the research is lacking in some of the details. But the central premise, that politics is a blood sport where the ends often justifies the means, is not only credible, but in light of the last election cycle, seems to be a logical conclusion.

Senator Sedgwick Sexton is gaining in the polls as he campaigns for the Presidency by attacking waste in the Federal Government. Among his targets is NASA, which he argues is inept and inefficient and has an unfair monopoly on the space industry. So when NASA appears to have found incredible proof of extraterrestrial life, Sexton’s campaign suddenly seems doomed. However, when a group of independent experts, including an intelligence analyst who just happens to be Sexton’s daughter, begin to question the validity of some of the evidence, they suddenly find themselves running for their lives.

As the mystery unravels, the action escalates, keeping the reader guessing and making this book difficult to put down. With a range of characters who all might conceivably have the motives to be behind these attacks, the reader is never quite sure who the true bad guys are until the very end. Like other books in this genre, this is unlikely to ever be considered great literature, but if you are looking for pure entertainment and a look at what truly out-of-control politics might look like, this book will satisfy.

Handed this to a co-worker.

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