"The Secrets of Secrets" Doesn't Add Up

 

I’ve read most of the Dan Brown novels, and for the most part, they are fine. Yes, they usually have a conspiracy that can be seen as silly if you’re a serious scholar. Also, they are solid page turners. They are good fast reads. However, I couldn’t get over how silly the science at the core of the mystery was.

Before I talk about the problems with this novel, I’ll mention too good things about this one. Langdon finally dates a woman who is age appropriate, and the other is Brown keeps the action going, making this a solid page turner.

However, the problem with this novel is the core at the mystery is basically junk science. Robert Landon’s girlfriend, Katherine Solomon, is known as a Noetic scientist, and I had to look up what that is. According to Wikipedia, it’s a part of something called The Institute of Noetic Science. They study psychic abilities, mediation, life after death and other things that don’t really click with actual science. They are under the banner of alternative medicine, and that’s not a good start.

To make matters worse, the C.I.A. is trying to hide experiments on a Russian woman to prove something that has to do with mind reading. Even saying that out loudly, that sounds silly. I just couldn’t buy that. There’s also this mysterious stalker trying to uncover the experiments calling himself the Gollum, naming himself after a Jewish mystical figure. However, this character just seems to want revenge without really diving into what being the Gollum really means.

The C.I.A. really wants to destroy Solomon’s manuscript, and to me, that was the biggest nonsensical part of this book. There are a ton of books with questionable premises, even books considered non-fiction, so why would the C.I.A. think her book expose something if the idea sounds so ridiculous in the first place. There’re even bestsellers that are full of junk science, but serious scholars and journalists don’t take them seriously. No one would suspect that the C.I.A. would be involved either way, and the readers who believe in her book, wouldn’t have power to do anything anyway.

Look, Dan Brown isn’t a great literary novelist. Even among thriller and mystery writers, his proses is often just considered passable. It’s also too long, at 600+ pages.

"Paper Doll" Is Still A Good, Yet Dated, Mystery

I’ve always been a fan of the Spencer novels. In the classic 1993 novel, “Paper Doll”, private eye Spencer is at it again, trying to solve the case of who murdered what appeared to be a devoted wife and mother. On the surface, this woman appeared to have no enemies and was an outstanding member of her upscale Massachusetts community. However, as Spencer digs deeper, he finds that she is not who she seems to be. In fact, even her devoted husband might not even know who she is. At one point, when Spencer is asking too many questions, he is fired by her widower husband from the case. Spencer, though not one to let things go easily, decides to continue to dig into the case.

This case takes him out of Massachusetts and into an odd small town in South Carolina, where he goes to the private school the wife went to as a teenager, meets her estranged father, a mysterious woman who works at a local diner with a picture of her on the wall, and other people in the town who might be clues to her real identity. He also suspects that a politician who is friends with the family of the murdered women might have something to do with her murder.

This was a solid Spencer novel. Yes, parts of it were dated like when Spencer compares the politician he is investigating to a presidential candidate at the time, Gary Hart, who lost the nomination because of an affair being uncovered. It was a simpler time. However, this sketchy politician might have had something to do with the murder, as he reveals to Spencer himself, he was having an affair with her.

There’s your usual cast of side characters, like Spencer’s friend Hawk and his girlfriend Susan. Most of the novel’s asides are Spencer and his girlfriend, Susan, hanging out and exchanging witty banter about the case and life in general.

While this book is dated, it’s still a good Spencer novel. The mystery has plenty of twists and turns, and some scenes even get a bit sad. It’s a well-crafted mystery because even at times, as a seasoned reader of mystery novels, I didn’t know exactly where it was going. At different times in the novel, I suspected different people who could have murdered this woman, even family members.

One thing I will point out is this novel is titled Paper Doll, and I don’t really know why exactly. There is no mention of paper dolls throughout the entire book. Maybe the wife is supposed to be like a paper doll, as a metaphor. I’m not sure.

"Twisted Prey" Is Another Solid Davenport Adventure

 

Lucas Davenport is at it again in “Twisted Prey”, by John Sandford, his 2018 novel where Davenport confronts an old nemesis, Senator Taryn Grant. In a previous novel, Grant framed a rival for her Senate seat by planting child pornography on his computer. Despite the Senate candidate being cleared of any wrongdoing, he still lost his Senate seat. Davenport is also convinced that the Senator might have been responsible for three murders, but he wasn’t able to prove it. In “Twisted Prey”, though, Davenport might finally have found a way to prove that Senator Taryn Grant, who now has her sights on the White House, had committed murder.

The novel opens with a car crash where Grant’s current rival for the seat is almost killed in a car accident, and when he is sure this accident was no accident, and was a set up, he contacts Davenport, who is now a federal marshal, to prove it. This makes Davenport leave his usual stomping grounds of Minnesota and into Washington D.C.

The book is well written and follows the usual Sandford formula. However, Sandford’ s formula isn’t a bad thing. He doesn’t dwell too much on the personal lives of his characters, though there are little glimpses of them. We also get cameos from other regular characters in the Sandford universe like Lucas Flowers and Davenport’s adopted daughter, Letty Davenport.

Sandford keeps the thrills coming, as well as the twists and turns. Davenport is sure that Grant is up to no good. However, this leads Davenport into a further trail of political corruption, as he starts to also investigate a defense contractor with ties to Grant. The conspiracy becomes even bigger than simply Grant trying to knock off another rival for political power.

There’s plenty of action and plenty of plain old detective talk in this book, like the other books by Sandford. Sandford goes back and forth between the good guys and the bad guys talking through the book. All in all, a solid Sandford book.

"The Testament" Is A Solid Grisham Adventure

 

John Grisham’s 1999 novel “The Testament” starts off with a bang. An old billionaire, Troy Phelan is talking about his final day. The first chapter is narrated by Troy, in the first person right before he jumps out of a window. He complains about his spoiled kids, and many ex-wives who all want a part of his estate. Jumping out the window is a final vengeful strike to them. However, he has one other trick up his sleeve, as when his will is read, he leaves all his money to an illegitimate child his ex-wives, children and lawyers never even heard of. She is named Rachel Lane and is a missionary in Brazil.

Curiously, only the first chapter is in the first person. The rest of the novel is told in the third person. The narration of Troy Phelan dies with him. I was a bit surprised by this, as I expected through the first chapter, maybe Troy would narrate the whole book. However, I guess, that wouldn’t make a ton of sense because Troy isn’t the most likable character. It might have been too much for Grisham to ask the reader to stay with such an unlikable character for the entire book.

Enter Nate O’ Reilly, a hard drinking lawyer that has been in and out of rehab more than once. He is at the end of his rope but is still part of the law firm that represents the interests of the late Troy Phelan. So, needing something to do, he is contacted by the late Troy’s lawyer, Josh Stafford, to go to Brazil to find Rachel Lane.

There’s a bit of a religious undertone to the book. It didn’t really bother me. I think it makes sense for the story, because it benefits Nate who needs some help throughout the story. When he goes to Brazil, he is tempted by alcohol. However, his views on his temptations change when he meets Rachel Lane. He is shocked when Rachel’s reaction to the billion dollars offer. She just wants to help the poor tribe she is living with in the jungles of Brazil. I don’t know much about missionaries, but it doesn’t surprise a missionary would want a simpler life, even if it means missing out on a ton of money.

This book is a bit all over the place, but it mostly worked for me. I liked the mix of a legal thriller, adventure story through Brazil and the personal story of Nate trying to overcome his demons. The book also spends a bit of time with Nate, as he tries to put his life back together.

This adds to the book feeling a bit all over the place, but once again, I didn’t mind it. It added to the bigger message that I felt a bit faith based, but also, I felt was something Nate probably needed to straighten out his messy life.

There’s also the usual stuff in the novel, about a trail over Troy’s estate. The family he left behind are not surprisingly fighting over the estate. I guess if you where left a billion dollars, you would fight with others over it as well. Besides an illegitimate daughter Troy hardly knew, and the rest of his family didn’t know existed, the rest of the family aren’t exactly a charming group.

Grisham, as usual, writes well. His writing isn’t hard to read, at times, he summarizes a little too much. However, Grisham is writing page turners, and he knows it. It’s a solid Grisham page turner, and one that makes you think about life a bit.