The Acolyte

Working in DC I can see where Compton has spent a great deal of time researching or either knows first-hand about how the CIA and other US government agencies really operate. Admittedly I was reading this from an "insider's" perspective, but I'm a real fan of how he put together the intricate spy plot. Some others have pooh-poohed the book, but I'd say they just don't have an appreciation for a story that's a cut well above a Grisham thriller. A great read.

Written for the tired executive with a long flight ahead, or for the husband who is involved in a clandestine affaire with a woman who is slated for promotion sooner than he....this book will captivate you with a twisted mind's version of his ultimate sexual and career fantasty. Will be a favorite of all political wannabes.

I started this book three times before I was able to get past the first 100 pages. If a book does not captivate me in the first 25 pages I rarely bother. For some reason I hung on to this one forced myself past the beginning and I am glad I did. Compton did an acceptable job overall, but to me it was tad bit too predictable. I think Compton was inspired by Frederick Forsyth, but Forsyth makes for a more interesting read with a much simpler plot. The Acolyte's plot is a bit overdone and this would have been a better book had he kept it simpler and developed the conflicts better. I never really "felt" Greers danger and fear, they all happened too fast and resolved way too easily. I recommend this book, and feel that Compton will improve with practice. To D.C.: re-read some more Forsyth books.

Very captivating after a brief slow start. If you read The Firm with passion, pick up this one. Ever since I've tried to find another book I've read so feverishly.

It was easy to immerse oneself into the characters of the Acolyte. A fast moving thriller in the Crichton/Grisham/Stuart Woods genre, this book rarely lept into stories too far-fetched, but kept the excitement building throughout. Well thought out and apparently thoroughly research story makes for an exciting, pleasurable read! I can't wait for the next one