Dr. Jonathan Ransom, a surgeon for Doctors Without Borders, is climbing in the Swiss Alps with his wife, Emma, when she falls into a hidden crevasse and dies. Twenty-four hours later, Jonathan receives an envelope addressed to his wife containing two baggage-claim tickets. Puzzled, he journeys to a railway station only to find himself inexplicably attacked by the Swiss police. Suddenly forced on the run, Jonathan's only chance at survival lies in uncovering the devastating truth behind his wife's secret life.
Rules of Deception by Christopher Reich was published in July of 2008 by Anchor Books (a division of Penguin Random House). It had two sequels: followed by 2009's Rules of Vengeance and 2010's Rules of Betrayal.
Being the first in Reich's series of novels featuring Jonathan Ransom, I chose it for my library branch's Mystery Book Discussion for May of this year. This was my first novel from the author.
The author wastes no time pulling you into the mysteries. What is going on in the middle of nowhere? What was Emma involved in? How does the investigations of Marcus von Daniken tie-in to these things? As a reader, I wanted to know what was going on which kept me turning the pages.
The third-person narration mostly sticks with Jonathan and Marcus, but it does allow Reich to show the reader other important scenes as required. We end up more in-the-know than our protagonists at times, which really helps further the eagerness to see where it will all end up. As the book continues, the chapter lengths drop so the reader is moving, along with the story, at a more exhilarating pace.
Was I engaged? Yes. Was I entertained? In the same way a summer blockbuster action film would. Was I confused at times? Also, yes. Will my book club like it? Um...maybe (I hope they do, or it will be a long hour of discussion).
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