Harlan Coben warns in the introduction to Miracle Cure (Hachette,Rs 350): Okay. if this is the first book of mine youre going to try,stop now. Return it. Grab another. Its okay. Ill wait. You need not take the advice of this author of nearly 20 novels. He will keep you reading for the next 500 pages. Coben has a reason for giving that warning. This is one of his early novels,which he wrote when he was in his 20s,which did not do particularly well and almost faded from the scene. It is now brought back for the sake of all Coben fans. In true thriller style,Miracle Cure pitches beautiful people against a mutilating murderer. Michael,a Knicks basketball player,and his wife Sara,a hard-hitting journalist,are at the top of their game. And then there are the good doctors at the forefront of AIDS research in New York who are pitted against the Holy Crusade,which believes AIDS strikes down the immoral without mercy. When three of Doctor Harvey Rickers patients,who are HIV-positive and gay,end up in bloody piles,Lieutenant Bernstein,a policeman who avoids violence as far as possible,comes to the rescue. Aided by Saras investigative skills and evidence left by Rickers deceased medical partner,they track down the murderer and trace his motivations. Of course,this doesnt happen before noses are pummeled,nursess throats are slit and fistfights rock Bangkoks brothels.Coben will keep you turning the pages,as he creates suspense not by masterful writing but by baiting out information at a steady pace. Lines like I majored in cleavage and I want your bod might leave you cringing,but to read Miracle Cure is to recognise Cobens early promise as a thriller writer. If you prefer historicals to thrillers,then try The Inner Circle by Brad Meltzer (Hachette,Rs 350). The quip that Americans have no history is an old one,but they do themselves no favours by repeating themes in popular fiction. This book features hidden documents in the National Archives,a plot involving the Founding Fathers,the secret dealings of George Washington and,of course,a Freemason conspiracy to rule the world. The story is told through Beecher White,a committed young researcher at the archives who,understandably,has a fascination for hidden stories. A childhood crush,Clementine,asks for his help in identifying her father and they stumble upon a 200-year-old dictionary that belonged to George Washington. As it turns out,it is used by The Culper Ring,a secret network of civilian spies created by Washington,to communicate with each other. Not many know that the ring is still in operation and even fewer know about the diary. Which puts Beecher and Clementine firmly in the firing line of whoever wants to protect its secrets. As they search for the truth,it leads them to a disturbing secret from the nations founding and a conspiracy that may involve the president himself. This is the first of a series. Read it if you have indeed enjoyed National Treasure.
