|
|
Ron Miller's DARK CORRIDORS VOL. 10, No. 36 |
|
Carter's becoming a master
in the genre of thrillers
of TheColumnists.com
It seems only yesterday that Stephen L. Carter, the distinguished Yale law professor, startled the publishing world with his first big step into the world of fictional thrillers. "The Emperor of Ocean Park."
That much-praised novel was a sign that the folks at the top of the best seller list had better start making room for a master-in-development. Well, I think Carter needs no further development. His fourth novel, "Jericho's Fall" (Knopf, $25.95) ought to secure his place in the top ranks of the nation's literary thrillmeisters.
This is one you hate to put down. I found it nearly impossible to stop reading. With my own super-busy schedule, I try to schedule my reading and limit it to one chapter at bedtime and one in the morning. Forget such things when reading Carter. Now my friends--yes, I actually have some--will know why the big sacks have been growing under my eyes and why I nod off during conversations. It's all the fault of "Jericho's Fall."
Jericho is an elderly, retired CIA director. He has been involved in just about all the modern espionage gigs you've ever read about and hundreds more than the press haven't sniffed out yet. If you remember that character "Zelig" that Woody Allen played--the one who was standing next to nearly every famous person in modern history--then you will understand when I say Jericho is the Zelig of espionage. You name it, he was there.
So, when it becomes known that Jericho is dying of cancer and may only have a week or two left to live, he suddenly becomes very popular with a certain set of players. We're talking about all the people whose careers--even lives--could be destroyed if Jericho decides NOT to take all his secrets with him to the grave. They are happy enough to know Jericho's dying--as long as they can destroy all the evidence he may be storing about their shenanigans before he shuffles of this mortal coil.
Naturally, Jericho is aware of what's going to happen. They're going to come for him before he croaks and try to get out of him where he's hidden all the evidence. So, maybe it isn't the brain cancer that inspires him to almost completely rebuild his mountain retreat atop a mountain in Colorado. Maybe he's fortifying it, so they can't get what they're after!
Into this maelstrom of espionage comes a beautiful young woman named Rebecca DeForde, who Jericho summons to his retreat in order to do him one last favor. Beck, as she's known to Jericho, was the student he seduced and turned into his mistress for a brief interlude that resulted in a scandal that destroyed his official government career. She hasn't seen him in a long, long time, has married and divorced since her affair with him, and now has a daughter who's her pride and joy.
Carter tells his story through the eyes of Beck. She's the bright and clever young woman who has no idea what Jericho is up to, but has the smarts and the instincts to see through nearly all the layers of fakery and lies that surround her former lover and his two bizarre sisters who have come to his retreat to help him in his final days. Pamela is a movie producer who despises Beck and thinks she has shown up only to weasel out a share of Jericho's fortune. The other sister, Audrey, is a former CIA operative who's now a nun. She seems so nice, but....is it all part of an act?
As the days dwindle down to a precious few, things get pretty nasty. Who has sent the helicopter that swoops in over Jericho's retreat every now and then? Who is interferring with all the traffic on Beck's cell phone? Who's killing off essential people surrounding Jericho? And who is "Max," the retired political assassin somebody has "reactivated," but nobody has ever seen?
As fanciful as the storyline gets, it's valuable to remember that there was a certain public curiousity about the death of former CIA director William Colby. Carter makes the scenario sound so credible that you start wondering how many people like Jericho have existed in the murky history of American espionage and how many of them may have used their wealth of damaging secrets to cut amazing deals for themselves after retirement.
For a public that today seems more willing to believe in arcane conspiracies in goverment than ever before, "Jericho's Fall" ought to be pure catnip.
©2009 by Ron Miller. The book cover illustration is courtesy of Knopf. This column first posted Oct. 12, 2009.
Ron
Miller is a former nationally syndicated television columnist
and the author of "Mystery! A Celebration," the official
companion book to PBS' "Mystery!" series.
You can comment on this column online. Please address your message to either "The Editors" or Ron Miller. To send an email, click here and don't forget to mention Ron's name: talkback@thecolumnists.com
|
|
|
Archives |
|
|