Kingdom Come

I really liked this book. Unlike the Dan Brown book, the writing was very good. The characters were likable and interesting, and the humor was clever and unexpected and fresh. The process of reading the book was unusually fun - I enjoyed every page. It wasn't like the Dan Brown book where the revelations were interesting but the writing was just awful. (If I never see the words "stunned" and "shocked" again, it will be too soon.) If Mr. Hougan had other books I would absolutely go get them.

After reading this story, I wouldn't be surprised if the author reminded himself what the story was about. It took a little over 200 pages to finally get it going with the Magdalene plot. And mind you, the story is roughly 400 pages! I gave this 4 stars because the characters are very believable and fun. This is a story about Jack Dunphy and his girlfriend, Clementine. The secret society plot seems thrown in there just for fun. Don't expect Dan Brown or anything closely related. Expect a fast-paced story about two lovers trying not to get killed.

Jim Hougan writes with the consummate skill of someone who's published five novels, not one. (Which makes me think he has four unpublished manuscripts piled in a closet somewhere.) His technique--dialogue, action, plot pacing, setting descriptions--are perfect, detailed and believable. And unlike other Bond-like protagonists we're used to seeing, his characterizations are three-dimensional. The book is written on many levels--intellectual down to the gut-wrenching (and gut-bleeding) physical--and thus is accessible to a wide audience. It's especially suited for those of us conspiracy theorists who search for the dark underbelly of current events; Hougan has us believing that his story could be at least partially true. The cover art is, appropriately, of a labyrinth; the main character, Jack Dunphy, is like a rat trying to navigate through a strange maze of information and danger. Reading about how Dunphy gets through it--fake passports, sneaky bank transactions, and the occasional dagger flashing from the cloak--is worth the price in eye strain and lost sleep.

My favorite thing about this novel is how Hougan welds together the angst/power of several "genre" categories: political thriller, spy book, science thrillers and even Stephen King like "super" natural thrillers (though done concretely). Also, nobody writing thrillers today has a better, more informed view of Cloak & Dagger wielders than Hougan. He takes all that detail and ideas and melds them into a really smooth, fluid prose style. His central woman character is great, too, which always helps an action thriller. This is the kind of novel that's so unique, you remember it long after the last close of the cover.

This thriller by Jim Hougan is a must read-but be prepared to burn the midnight oil as it is difficult to put down and has your mind turning even as you sleep. Likeable charachters, interesting locales, a terrific plot, and a wonderfully handled unfolding of this tremendously intriguing thriller all add up to a winner of a novel. Simply terrific.