The Book of Fate

The Book of Fate
Brad Melzer
Warner Books
ISBN: 0446530999
Fiction, Political Thriller
Reviewed by John Clark

In a mystery you are introduced to characters one of whom perpetrates a crime (usually a homicide) and then spend the remainder of your reading experience trying to figure out who-dunnit before the author reveals that bit of information. Thrillers, on the other hand, lay out the characters and much of the action early on and then force you to move the pieces around like a slide puzzle until you make sense of it all.
Bad thrillers mush the details so much that you either give up or become so confused you never really decide if the plot made sense. Happily, Brad Melzer has gotten pretty much everything right in The Book of Fate. During the first couple chapters, I couldn't help having mental flashbacks to that unforgettable day in 1963 when JFK was assassinated in Dallas. Even though we saw it on film and read endless accounts of what happened afterward, little nagging doubts remain (in my mind at least.) Melzer's book takes those little snippet-like doubts and creates a very addictive story line.
During the assassination attempt on President Leland Manning's life at an auto race, his adviser Ron Boyle is killed and aide Wes Holloway permanently disfigured. For the next eight years, everyone believes that events on that day were as they seemed. Now, Wes, still physically and psychologically scarred from that event, works for the former president and suffers from guilt feelings that somehow he could have prevented the attack. When he is on a goodwill trip with the former president in Malaysia, he discovers an intruder in Manning's room. When the man attacks him in order to escape, Wes recognizes the supposedly dead Ron Boyle and the main story line is off and running.
Readers who like an engaging thriller, particularly one that is eyeball deep in politics will be extremely satisfied with this book. I expect that many mystery fans will enjoy the intrigue and mental challenges involved in sorting out the myriad plot pieces as well. A can't-miss add for public libraries.