With exceptional restraint and the accretion of small but telling details, DuBois, already acclaimed for his 2003 thriller Betrayed
, leaps to the forefront of speculations on the future of the war on terror with this quietly devastating cautionary tale. His callow but sympathetic hero, Canadian journalist Samuel Simpson, has joined a United Nations unit attempting to gather evidence against those responsible for a devastating terror attack and document war crimes in the ensuing civil strife. In a twist Rod Serling would have been proud of, Dubois reveals that Simpson's beleaguered team, dodging gunfire in a shattered landscape, is assigned to the United States, which has fallen into anarchy after a dirty bomb destroyed lower Manhattan and other attacks seriously damaged electrical systems across the country. The balance between action and introspection is superb, and DuBois is confident enough of his readership and his premise to avoid a pat, upbeat ending. Those seeking a thoughtful look at a plausible aftermath of further attacks on America will find much to ponder. (Nov. 29)
