A writer is hired to ghost the memoirs of ex-Prime Minister Adam Lang following the mysterious death of the original writer, Lang's long time ADC. He flies out to a wintry Martha's Vineyard and into a household, beleaguered by political accusations, isolated, and turning in on itself.
For the first half of the book nothing really happens. There is a sense of mystery but the interest is mostly held as the writer explains the craft of the ghost. This first part is superbly crafted and beautifully described, but a bit slow. Suddenly it changes gear. It becomes faster and more exciting, although considerably more shallow. There is the obligatory one night stand. There are the nagging doubts: would an ex-British Foreign Secretary, now ambassador at the UN, really have the contacts necessary to hire an ex-NYPD cop as a covert operative?
Nevertheless, the book in its entirety is a well crafted political thriller with a little more about it than most.
January 2011; 310 pages
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