Sorry for the lack of posting - work is very busy, and home life has pretty much been TV and sleep, except for weekend errands which just weren't that interesting outside of planning our upcoming vacation. That was interesting, but not exactly worthy of extended discussion here. Besides, you know I'll bore you to death about it here once we're back.

But while I'm here, might as well continue to play catch-up:

Book Log 2006 #21: Prayers for the Assassin by Robert Ferrigno

The premise is pretty good, if requiring a fair amount of suspended belief: the US has split more or less along Civil War lines, with the Union now an Islamic state and the South a fundamentally Christian one. All of the action takes place in the north, as a former spy and assassin becomes involved in the search for the mother of all cover-ups. Along the way he is battled by a rival who is working at the behest of those who'd rather keep things covered.

As a work of historical fiction, it's missing some of the background and 'factual' material that would normally round out how the world got to be the way it is. There is an explanation of things, but more detail would have given added depth. It's also a little disappointing that we don't get to see how life is in the "Bible Belt," given the stories mentioned along the way by the main character.

For a book whose title, cover, and plot are provocative, the story tends more towards the standard thriller. Which is fine as far as it goes, but I think there was an opportunity missed in tying the book in to our current situation. OK at best.