Running for the House

Even a seasoned genre writer would have a tough time pulling off the far-out premise of Kleinhendler’s tedious thriller: a covert cabal handpicks a nobody to be elected to Congress so he can gain its members’ access to a biological super weapon. The conspirators, known as the Committee, have learned of a technology that can identify every person’s unique “electrobiological signature.” With “targeted bursts of energy waves emitted from satellites or drones,” one can kill a man and make it look like a natural death. The Committee selects New York City trial lawyer Michael Gordon as their stealth pawn and sets out to manipulate him into office. At one point, the number of Gordon’s Facebook friends increases overnight from 32 to a still modest 200, though his new ones include “Rahm Emanuel, John [sic] Corzine, and Bill Gates.” Such errors as referring to “modern Jewish scripture” don’t help the over-the-top story line. [em](BookLife) [/em]