Review: Genuine Summertime Diversion Fiction
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 07 15, 2013
Conspiracy theory based novels are often controversial, and after reading Mr. Katz's book, and then my fellow reviewers' appraisals, they seem to be all over the charts, and for some very good reasons. For the purposes of this review, I will refer to the villains -- the ultimate powers, as the "CBE" -- the "cabal behind everything".I picked this up (at the author's suggestion) for a vacation diversion, and I was not disappointed. One problem with conspiracy novels is that you have to "play along" a bit to enjoy them. (Having significant knowledge and education along the story lines of the Da Vinci Code kept me from finding it enjoyable, yet the Bourne novels -- because I know little about the world of covert ops -- were enjoyable.) It helps for this book to have some genuine interest in both world history and in current events.The main characters are all highly successful and powerful people in their own rights - a U. S. Congressman, a powerful lobbyist, a very exclusive "courtesan", a former KGB technical spook, and a brilliant teenage hacker for various motives all get together to discover who is "behind the curtain" and running the world. They are an interesting group of characters who initially decide to delve into some of the more obvious locations to answer the questions, such as the White House Situation Room. Their positions have given them economic as well as political power, and they are able to finance their adventure which take them to Monaco, Scotland, London, all while staying in First Class lodging and dining. Since I'm a person who enjoys great food and drink and who's stayed in some nice lodgings, I found these details enjoyable. Mr. Katz, I can only conclude, loves to eat and drink as much as I do. As far as the travelogue parts, I found those acceptable too. Where do the immensely powerful go, if not to immensely beautiful places to divert themselves from immense responsibility.The beginning is quite simply abrupt. I thought the reasons for all of these brilliant and talented people to join together in this dangerous undertaking fell into place just a tad too conveniently, and the result was the characters lacked depth -- at least initially. However, once they began working together, there were inevitable red herrings and mutual suspicions of "moles", and they rounded out sufficiently to hold up their roles in the book. There were times when I groaned, "don't tell me Alexis is the most beautiful woman in the room; tell me why I would find her to be the most beautiful woman in the hotel lobby."There is a significant amount of graphic and detailed (and might I say sometimes "deviant") descriptions of bodies and of sexual activity in the novel, generally focusing around the courtesan Alexis and her part (or perhaps "parts") in the investigation. In Mr. Katz's defense, I can only say Alexis' involvement is essential to the unfolding of the story, the assignations not only advance the plot but they provide insightful information about means and motive of very powerful people including the "CBE". What does one imagine the most powerful people in the world -- not only today but for many generations -- do for fun? If power is corrupting, then what? I too found some of the sexual descriptions too long, too detailed, until they sometimes risked losing both impact and interest, but some it added to character -- especially of the villains in the piece. Nonetheless, the explicit sexual scenes are more workmanlike than titillating, and as another reviewer put it, one can just skip over much of it.They quickly realize the potential consequences of looking for people who, if they exist, really do not want to be found and spend considerable effort and unlimited resources spinning out disinformation and are both capable and willing to eliminate ANYONE getting too close. It's a modern world and the first clues are found, where else, but the Internet. Despite their best efforts at security, their carefully-developed sources begin to go silent, and they realize their efforts have been discovered! Will any of them survive, or are they serving a deeper level of cover-up of the CBE by their own queries? It is on this level that Mr. Katz's novel is at its best. Of course, Jake the lobbyist, who becomes the de facto leader of the investigation, and Alexis the courtesan (who is so much more than a prostitute) fall in love adding a "sweet sorrow" theme to the book. Will our lovers live to enjoy their romance, or will they be snuffed out when no longer of any use to the cabal behind everything.I confess, I found Mr. Katz's choice of conspirators at least as enjoyable and more believable than Mr. Brown's in the Da Vinci Code. The consequences of The Conspiracy was for nothing less than the future of the human race. I really enjoyed the "whats" of the conspiracy and the "whos" were plausible, but the "whys" left me less than satisfied. Why start this dangerous quest? Really, why do the CBE go to all the hard work for such a long time to control the world? Why continue this dangerous quest when you know it endangers the person you love most? What really motivated the members of the CBE?Ultimately, Mr. Katz wraps up "the big day" of the conspiracy and "the big day" for our hero and heroine in an enjoyable, over-the-top manner, and then novel comes to a quick conclusion. The wedding was a MAJOR surprise. Mr. Katz is to be congratulated for what is often good, unconventional and unpredictable writing. If there are not great surprises, then there are no great disappointments either. In short, it's a readable and enjoyable yarn, and ultimately it works.I look forward to reading Mr. Katz's other books.PLOT - B+CHARACTERS - B-DIALOG - BRECOMMENDED with cautions for sexual situations