WICKED GAME

In Wilson’s debut thriller, a reporter uncovers a whopper of an untold story involving the U.S. government and terrorist leader Osama bin Laden.

New York City newspaper reporter Tim Connelly gets wind of suspicious goings-on at various federal departments and military branches. His investigation leads to a tangled plot—often interrupted by stagy scenes between Tim and his love interest, a beautiful Wall Street–type named Rebecca Morgan Webb—and eventually leads south to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Rebecca’s father is a wealthy, well-connected judge, and with the judge’s assistance, Tim slowly, and somewhat tediously, uncovers incriminating evidence of a secret government plot involving bin Laden. However, the reasons behind this mysterious plot are never made fully clear to the reader. The novel’s rough, shorthand, present-tense style often makes the book read as if it was adapted from a screenplay.  For example, several character vignettes, instead of focusing on the characters’ inner lives, dwell largely on surface, exterior details: “Tim is a quirky young man, sweet and cute. His deep Irish eyes are [wiry] and wide, always observant, always aware. He’s a hyper little guy, but never obnoxious with a heart of gold for his friends and family.” Throughout the novel, many passages would benefit from a stronger edit; in particular, characters’ dialogue is often stiff. Overall, the book struggles to sustain tension, often getting sidetracked from the main plot by scenes involving long descriptions of events such as dinner dates and family gatherings.

An awkward thriller built on a far-fetched premise.