True Evil by Greg Iles
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Expectations matter. If Turning Angel and Quiet game hadn't been two of the best books I read this year, I would go easier on this novel.* Oh well. For starters, while the entire setup isn't exactly unplausible, the actual scientific mechanics behind the Sinister Plot are pretty awfully convenient. Without spoiling too much, let's just say that I doubt even someone as supposedly brilliant as the villian could get produce something biological that was anywhere near as precise as it is presented in the novel. Secondly, while the motivations of the main antagostic are pretty thoroughly discussed, the motivations of Thora are treated to about 2 paragraphs or explaination, which is just completely insufficient. And finally the mystery was really too easy to solve, I mean, the villain practically falls into the protagonists laps and all they have to do is realize it (which they do quickly, because Greg Iles main characters are blessed with super human intellect.)**
* I really did enjoy reading this novel. Eldon Traver is a great character. Andrew Ruck is an amazing foil to him and is one of the most delightfully sleazy characters I've had the pleasure of reading about lately. The plot twist about 1/2 way through ratchets up the tension amazingly well, and provides great momentum for the rest of the book, even if it does mostly take the best character out of the action.
** Finally finally, do you really expect me to believe that a brilliant biological scientist would pick an obvious anagram of his name for his cover identity, have mail for that person sent to his primary office, and NOT expect everyone to figure it out immediately?
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