First published in 2000 I have just discovered this gem for fans of psychological manipulation and paranoia.
This book is that it contains one of the best and shortest prologues ever. It is chilling and sets your mind racing. Once you reach the end of the prologue there is no escape from reading the book.
The novel starts in San Francisco but any worries that it would be rather alien to my tastes rapidly dispersed. It reminded me of how I was shocked by this city on my only visit. The distance between huge wealth and desperate poverty is only a street or sometimes just the difference between light and darkness. In other words, whoever you are, there is the possibility of disappearing into the background should you ever have the need.
Thankfully what I thought was a great psychological drama only stuck in San Francisco soon became a worldwide travelling suspense and many more familiar places from my own travels were visited. Personally I have a weakness for any book that has the ability to entertain whilst informing me about other parts of the world. The chapters in Peru were particularly enjoyable.
In the end it was almost like reading two books. One is the story of the hero (lets call him) written in the first person. The second is reading your own mind to decide what you would do in similar circumstances. While this book provides excellent and gripping entertainment it also provoked me to consider the world we all live in and think deeply about people’s motivation and hidden agendas.
I have only just finished this novel but I know I will spend a lot more time thinking about it. I will probably need to read it again in a month or so.
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