BOOK REVIEW OF THE 9/11 CONNECTION
By Pam Borden
I bit into
this book, the third of a trilogy imagined and written by James Macnutt, with
the same interest I encountered earlier with The Mendelssohn Connection and The
Odessa Connection. Certain international themes reminiscent of Steve Berry or
James Patterson at their prime created as thrillers or “conspiracy fiction”
come to mind but Macnutt develops his novels into living, breathing and
perfectly plausible events with realistically drawn, full bodied main
characters with all their strengths and foibles.
In a novel
which could provide me with a great escape from the admitted tedium of
daily life, I also read it with the enthusiasm of taking part in ‘an accidental
tourist’ experience. It is written from the perspective of Macnutt who is a
seasoned visitor to Europe. The book like the two earlier volumes in the
trilogy is chock full of beautiful descriptions of Eastern European geographic
and architectural vistas combined with snipers firing at close range and the
presence of sinister Russian oligarchs making life downright dangerous for our
two protagonists Will and Isaac. They personify not only the need of middle
aged men to experience a final big adventure but also the easy camaraderie that
flows between longtime but totally opposite personalities.
Macnutt knows
his geography well and the descriptive gifts that he first showed his readers
in On Five Dollars a Day indicate his growing confidence and skill in his power
to recreate scenes as part of the cast of characters as well as
providing great background details.
The
references to the 9/11 tragedy posit a new theory behind the September bombings
of the two towers of the World Trade Center. The theory succeeds as a work of
conspiracy fiction since for the most part the narrative threads of the third
volume miraculously get tied together which the alert reader will
realize is at least most certainly possible in fact.
Settle down
for a lot of adventure, some romantic distractions and the opportunity to live
vicariously as either the thoughtful Scots Presbyterian Will or the
libido-driven Isaac. The dialogue in places is very funny and it sounds like
real conversations between characters. Like Louise Penny’s excellent Three
Pines series the three titles in the trilogy can be read separately, but to
really enjoy the books I recommend reading them in sequence. The
books are blessed with an index of characters which helps anchor the action and
shows the full power of Macnutt’s imagination in his creation of not only one
but three excellent yarns.
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