When I knew it was from Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre, I knew it would be great, but never expected to be so thrilling. I had read their books on various historic incidents and I have loved them all, their way of narration and style of presentation is something remarkable. It just keeps you glued to their books. So i was sure even in a fictional work , they will be able to sustain their charm, but what I find in "The Fifth Horseman" is just not mere charm, but more power and thrill.
Once you finish reading the book, you would wonder if you read a novel or seen a Hollywood movie or seen a news documentary on a real incident. Its so multifaceted that it would be injustice to term it just another novel. The novel has real life characters Like Mohamed Qaddafi and also alongside fictional characters. The novel was never made into a movie because of the fear that some lunatic organization might try to copy the plot and create havoc. After the novel was published, the French government stopped their nuclear fuel supplies to Libya fearing what was spoken off in the novel would become real. I don't think you would need better examples to know the impact of the novel across the world.
The novel begins with the arrival of a ship to New york port with a nuclear explosive in it. Then its followed by a letter to US president from Libyan chief regarding the nuclear device planted in the New york city and he threatens to annihilate the whole city. The rest of the novel describes how the US government and its investigating agencies find out the nuclear weapon and also its perpetrators. Its not just about finding out the bomb, but the novel explains in detail, the various strategies adopted to find out the menace, the struggle to keep the whole thing as a secret and also sheds light into the diplomacy of the political world and how US consider various political actions in retaliation. The most important aspect of the novel being that it has the ability to thrill you even if you know the whole plot of the novel, thanks to various breathtaking twists and turns that really spices up the reading. For those who love suspense and thrills, this is Bible.
