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Title: Nice try, but falls far short of goal
Review: I had to read this to see what a "clean" thriller was like. While his attempt was certainly laudable, the results are far from exemplary. This novel is rather schizophrenic, as if a modern thriller had been transplanted onto a 1950s TV drama; I almost expected The Beav or Andy Griffith to step in and solve the whole thing. The writing runs hot and cold, the characters are either squeaky-clean or evilevilevil, some of the characters' actions are questionable, and the attempts to work around offensive material are more often than not awkward. His strong point is plotting-- in fact, there is probably enough plot for two or three thrillers. There is so much that at times he is reduced to summarizing events instead of really getting into them in detail, despite the book's massive length. For something like this to work, you need to have a lot of psychological depth. An interesting read, no more.
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