this month i had the recently rare opportunity to actually read my book club’s first pick for the new year.  yay!  it was the patriot threat by steve barry and i loved every page of it.  it is my first read by this author, and i enjoyed his no-fuss yet still descriptive writing style.  the story, set in both washington, d.c. and, can you believe it, croatia(!), surrounds the potential ramifications and legitimacy of a conspiracy theory that the united states’ 16th amendment was never legally ratified, meaning that taxes upon the nation’s citizens have been wrongfully collected for decades.  i mean, if that isn’t a headline to get you wondering, i don’t know what is!

this read is full of fact with fiction trickled here and there.  mr. barry is even so kind that at the end of the novel he helps you separate history from imagination.  a greatly written book makes for a great read, and that’s just what this one was.  it was this cool hybrid of action from a movie like national treasure and then curiosity and intrigue from a book such as the da vinci code.  no joke, as you turn to learn more about the characters and their journey, each page helps you picture the story on the silver screen.  perhaps they’ll put it in theaters some day!

the patriot threat is a novel that will make you dust off your thinking cap and wear it for a while as you ponder the what if’s of life.  i thought it an interesting pick for the group of ladies who i will discuss the book with on thursday, but you never know.  it could lead to some of our most interesting conversations ever!  or they could all think it was a flop and have a totally opposite opinion, and that’s what makes it fun!  all i know is that this book is one i would readily recommend if you’re a reader like myself.