We all have our biases. Every one of us. For me, this bias is a dislike for much of contemporary fiction. Especially contemporary mystery fiction. I do not normally like new books, unless they look extremely interesting, or are recommended highly by a small group of friends whose opinion I trust.
When I read the synopsis of *Lincoln's Hand* by Joel Fox, it was interesting enough that I volunteered for a chance to review it. My request was accepted, and I waited for my copy to arrive in the mail. Despite my interest in the plot of the book, I was assuming that I would not like it very much. I was finishing up another modern mystery book for review that I simply loathed, and was wary of the experience *inevitably* repeating itself. I am pleased to say that I was wrong. This book is filled with what makes mystery fiction worthwhile to read. If more authors today wrote like Joel Fox, I would be more willing to pick up their work.
The story starts with the introduction of a villain who is being set up to be a recurring character in future works. The terrorist, called the Monument Bomber, is on a mission to destroy America's self-confidence by destroying our myths. He reasons that the monuments and memorials that we build are so much a part of the fabric of who we are as a people, that if he destroys them, he can destroy Americans as a people.
The hero is identified in the tag line on the front cover, where it reads, "A Zane Rigby Mystery". FBI Special Agent Rigby is hot on the heels of the bomber, only to be tricked by him, and fall for a diversion. This allows the bomber to safely attack another monument, and Rigby is pulled off the case to investigate a report that Abraham Lincoln's body may be missing from his grave site. May have been missing, in fact, for around a century. For a young agent, this would likely have been exciting, but for veteran senior agent, as Rigby is portrayed, this is clearly a method for the director to punish him and get him away from her.
Zane goes to Springfield, Illinois, to investigate. He gets caught up in local happenings, meets an old flame, and solves the mystery surrounding the Lincoln body. I could say more, or give more description, except that it would mean that I would have to spoil the book. Nevertheless, I can state that this book is a terrific read.
The book is quite realistic in its portrayal of how the government and beauracracy works. I know anyone who has read past reviews will roll their eyes at the seeming "broken record" aspect of this praise, but realism in how the military, law enforcement, and intelligence communities work is very important to me. It draws me in since I can recognize fakery quickly from my Army time, and it is something that I appreciate, since so much fiction wrongly, and negatively, portrays these groups.
The historical aspects of the story were also interesting. Despite the fact that it might be strange to ascribe the term "world building" to a novel set in the real world as this one is, that is the correct way to define what any author does. They build their own fictional representation of the real world. Some authors do this badly, but some can do it correctly. Fox does it marvelously.
You are drawn into the plot with just the right amount of historical exposition from the characters. Whenever an author has to do extensive exposition, it can be tricky. The reason that most contemporary novels, particularly historical and mystery ones, are so criticized is for how badly the exposition is handled. The best example ever of exposition, in my opinion, is a fantasy novel. *The Council of Elrond* in *The Lord of the Rings* is the best example of exposition for the readers' benefit that I have read. The proper balance was reached between providing the necessary exposition and yet not boring the reader to death with details. Fox rises to the challenge of striking that balance.
One of the hardest parts of any novel can be characterization. Even if the author has a good story, it can be a bore to read if the characters do not ring true. I'm not certain what the method is for reaching this balance. I just know that some authors do, and some authors do not. Mr. Fox does.
The main character is one that audiences can understand. Younger readers can cheer for him, hoping that he makes it and wins. Readers who are slightly older can have sympathy for his hardships as he finds himself in positions where he is taxed beyond what he physically capable of doing now, but not what his capabilities were as a young man. He has aches and pains, and much more than that. He is tempted by sins, he does evil and good. He wants to do the right thing, but fails at times. He bucks authority when necessary to do the right thing. In short, he is a real person. Though those in positions of leadership are not to be defied lightly, sometimes they must be. We all have done it. We all have suffered heartache, setbacks, triumphs, and so forth.
The other characters are just as compelling. The villains turn out not to be quite as well-characterized as I would like. They seem to come out of nowhere. It's hard to judge if this is a true drawback, or a choice of the author's. Fox seems to have decided to create a situation where the villains are only slightly fleshed out at the end. Part of this is that the villains are also being manipulated by other characters in the story who unknowingly help set the dangerous wheel in motion.
The end of the story seems too pat to me. Rigby is back in Washington after the climactic scenes, with everything just okay back in Springfield. There are quite a few "loose ends" so to speak, that I would have liked to see resolved. This annoyed me, quite a bit.
Some who read the book might have a problem with the fact that Rigby hits on a now-married ex-flame, but I don't. Not because I approve of this, but because Rigby repents of the act, and does the right thing in the end. Despite his inner hopes, and evil thoughts, he ultimately acts honorably. He respects and values his ex's marriage! That is almost too much to believe these days! In fact, in one scene where the ex (wrongfully!) believes her husband (under questioning for a crime he did not commit) to be cheating on here, she tries to initiate contact in her moment of distress. He turns her down and protects her marriage. She snaps out of it and is brought to her senses. Okay, minor spoiler there, but wow! Such a respect for marriage is not the norm in today's popular fiction. This alone makes up for the loose ends to be tied up.
It is clear that Mr. Fox intends to go onward, because Rigby is made the FBI's historical cases guy at the end of the book, and the terrorist is still at loose, contemplating targeting Rigby himself. Also, the tag line kind of gives it away as well. ;) I, for one, am looking forward to the next books in the series, and will eagerly watch out for them. I am glad that I took a chance on this modern mystery, and highly recommend it for everyone else to read as well.
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I received this novel from Echelon Press for the purposes of writing a review for them. I must emphasize that they only asked for a review. They did not specify whether it should be positive or negative. I truly appreciate the chance to review this book, and the above opinions are my honest viewpoint. I also want to give my sincere thanks to Echelon Press for the opportunity to review this book, and thank you all for reading this review.
