This sophomore effort by Richard Cox is an imaginative, kinetically-paced thriller that manges to stumble a bit over its own feet. Cox strives to marry bleeding-edge technology, modern particle theory, and a criminal conspiracy with the search for universal intelligence and the desire for immortality; unfortunately, his narrative suffers largely because of simple things like plotting and pacing.
An American businessman named Steve Keeley is in Switzerland for—you guessed it—business. He's the sort of single-minded corporate climber who has a written plan for his entire life. When an accidental cell phone call alerts him to his girlfriend's infidelity, Steve's ego is shattered. After wandering the streets of Zurich for a while he ends up in a bar; he subsequently ends up with a girl named Anna. Steve's "I'm hurt and want revenge" sexual encounter ends badly, however, as he is hurled out a window by a mysterious assailant, and he lands in a crumpled heap on the cobblestone streets three stories below.
When Steve wakes up, he's in a hospital bed. His memories are blurry, and he's only alive as a result of a series of nearly miraculous surgeries. More, his sense of his surroundings seems to have altered: for some reason, he believes he might be able to levitate off the bed if he wanted, and he seems to be hearing echoes of the thoughts of those around him. Not to mention the fact that the woman who returned his $20,000 diamond engagement ring seemingly died before she could have slipped the box into his coat pocket or helped him to the hospital.
Around the world at a $12 billion super-collider facility in North Texas, physicist Mike McNair works to actually identify the Higgs field and discover the so-called "God particle" that may well illuminate greater understanding of the nature of time and space. Mike's cutthroat working environment, in which his work is secretly being sabotaged and other scientists are being groomed to replace him, is balanced by Mike's romantic interest in the beautiful TV anchor he met on an airplane.
Article comments
1 - DrPat
This sophomore effort by Richard Cox...
Did you mean sophomoric? Or just his second book?
[grin]
2 - Bill Wallo
Very clever, Dr. Pat.
It's his second book, of course, but it may also be considered sophmoric by some. Especially since for the most part, his characters' dating notions don't appear to have changed much since high school. :)
3 - Temple Stark
Bill, Pat Cummings (Dr. Pat) honored you this time.
Bill Wallo, come on down.
The Blogcritics' editors liked this one and therefore it's a pick of the week.
Here's a link to the rest of this week's picks and the reasons why.