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What would you do if you faced an ethical dilemma on your job, knowing that if you do nothing, many people will be hurt and if you do something, you will likely lose your job? It¹s a choice that Sloane Ryder doesn¹t even think about. She¹s a financial analyst at a large investment bank who accidentally uncovers insider training involving one of the heads of the firm and a Chinese oil company. When she exposes him to the SEC, she faces a brutal investigation, a measure of guilt for the cheater¹s resolution and a ruined reputation within the financial community in New York. In addition, her personal relationship with an FBI agent by the name of Peter Mack disintegrates. What she doesn¹t expect is to be approached by the General Accounting Office of the Federal government and offered a job ferreting out anomalies in the financial activities of civil servants who may be involved in espionage. She¹s uniquely qualified for the position since she graduated from a school named Ravenhurst where her advanced business studies included a course in competitive business intelligence. During the time that Sloane is facing her travails, an assassin known only as ³Handyman² is hatching a nefarious plot across the world in Hong Kong. He¹s chosen a young boy from an orphanage who is suffering a terminal case of AIDS and has been abused throughout his life. The Handyman has a male and female operative who bring the child (referred to as ³1818²) to something approaching health before they assume another couple¹s identity and spirit 1818 into the United States for a ³Hands of Hope² meeting in Washington. We learn that the child will meet with the president of the US, Claudia Ballentine, and she will die shortly thereafter. We also know that 1818 will somehow be an instrument of her death and experience much pain himself. The two narrative threads are tied together by events occurring in China. There are forces fighting for and against the reunification of the Chinese mainland, and U. S. government officials of the highest level are involved in various conspiracies to force their plans forward. Betrayal is the password and power is the prize. The plot moves briskly forward to a horrifying day in Washington, DC, where the scheme unfolds. Shelby has a very pedestrian prose style, and a detailed sex scene had my eyes rolling. The book tends toward the incredible, beginning with such small details as the characters¹ names (³Whip²? ³Dodge²?) up through the invincible protagonist who keeps on ticking while taking a licking over and over again. The villain, Handyman, is painted as one of the top 4 assassins in the world; yet he has tremendous difficulty in killing his various targets. Where Shelby shines is in building suspense around a complex conspiracy. It isn¹t until late in the book that we find out what is in store for 1818, and it is indeed horrifying, yet very original. The character of Handyman is extremely clever, and the resolution goes in directions that the reader might not expect. The depiction of the political environment rings very true, and one could believe that the people in this book could inhabit our political inner circles. If you like espionage thrillers, then you should enjoy this book. Shelby fans should note that several characters from previous books appear in these pages‹Hollis Fremont, Holland Tylo and the Handyman among them.
Reviewed by Maddy Van Hertbruggen, November 2002
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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