Book Log 2007 #28: The Book of Fate by Brian Meltzer

An aide to a former President learns that the events surrounding an assassination attempt - which left him scarred, another staffer dead, and the President disgraced - may not have been as they seemed. Along the way he tumbles to a cabal involving the nation's security apparatus and, perhaps, the Masons.

The pot never quite boils on this book, a pretty standard political thriller that delievered less than I expected based on the description. Lots of thriller conventions here - a hero who winds up falling for a woman who gets involved in the investigation, shadowy governmental figures who are more powerful than their positions would indicate, and a killer whose insanity is clearly, if perhaps overly, portrayed. The whole thing could have used a tightening; it's a little bloated at 528 pages.

It wasn't a total loss, but it didn't do much to capture my interest, either. Probably good for commuting or the beach, though I found it didn't take much to pull my attention away.