John
Gardner is one of the top mystery/thriller writers in this country.
For those of you reading this, this is not news. He is up to his
old tricks again in DAY OF ABSOLUTION, a complicated intrigue that
involves Scotland Yard with an infamous assassin named "The
Alchemist."Charlie is a newly married ex-foreign affairs officer whose new
wife, Bex Olesker, ends up with the unenviable and dangerous task
of following a woman to the lair of this renowned assassin.
Charlie, left alone and missing his wife, ends up involved in a
mystery about ancient Christian scrolls that may have been written
by a prostitute who may have witnessed the last days of Christ's
life, setting a nasty spin on all of Christian belief and
mythology. Both partners end up finding their individual pursuits
conjoined in strange and evil ways and, eventually, they move
faster and faster towards a precipice that could spell the end of
both their careers and lives.Gardner is a fine writer, his thriller-speak down pat, but for
a novice like myself, I have to say I had to read several things
over and over again. The double-faced discussions that lead the
protagonists in varying directions are complicated and hard to
decipher, but the pace of the story drags you along with it until
you have no choice but to surrender. It feels like a book clearly
written to become a major Hollywood film --- its Christianity is
sketchy but its grasp on history enough to support the story,
although I would like to see what scholars would say about his
research. In the meantime, if you're a fan, I'm sure you won't be
disappointed.---
Reviewed by Jana Siciliano

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