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Chicago in the year 2028 is the primary setting for this thriller that zigzags from The Windy City to the nation's capital to Gulf of Mexico beaches to a seedy hotel room in Cuba. Cops, politicians, industry titans, scientists, gangbangers, and more cross dangerous paths as plots beget subplots that comingle with backstories to form a chronicle of mayhem, murder, and multiple conspiracies guaranteed to keep readers turning pages tenaciously.
Jim is a Chicago police detective assigned to help protect the country's president-elect. When the latter gets assassinated, the former gets fingers pointed at him for dereliction of duty. Simultaneously, Sebastian, an aging businessman who is actually the puppet master behind the political killing, begins a maniacal plan to expand both his pharmaceutical empire and his own life by finding a way to transfer young blood into old bodies—a process that will reverse aging through a chemical fountain of youth. Sebastian also has revolutionary and radical plans for his country. Soon, he and Jim are on a collision course as the U.S. is thrown into political disarray, and Chicago's young male death toll rises exponentially.
Author Polelle does a masterful job of intermingling concurrent storylines while introducing memorable characters who interact on multiple fronts. He manages to imbue his medical developments with the kind of scientific input that makes them seemingly plausible. The author also depicts compelling political scenarios packed with presidential succession debates and competing constitutional interpretations. Polelle manages to do all of the aforementioned while keeping his foot firmly pressed on the suspense pedal. For those with an appetite for thrillers as intellectual as they are intense, this one will likely assuage their hunger.
A 2022 Eric Hoffer Book Award Category Finalist
RECOMMENDED by the US Review