The Hadrian Memorandum

The Hadrian Memorandum by Allan Folsom

I've been reading Allan Folsom's books ever since his first one, The Day After Tomorrow, which I thought was fantastic. Unfortunately, in my opinion, he's never been able to achieve the same level of creativity and excitement since that first one. His other books so far have all been worth reading, but compared to that first one, they've always left me disappointed. After finishing The Hadrian Memorandum I think I've decided I'm done buying his books.

The book is a sequel to The Machiavelli Covenant and follows ex-LAPD Detective and current landscape architect Nicholas Marten, who is conveniently a close associate of the President of the United States. The President has a special assignment for the landscape architect that no one else at his disposal is qualified to undertake - travel to the West African nation of Equatorial Guinea and determine whether rebel fighters there are being armed by a U.S. oil exploration firm. I know what you're thinking, with a plot that good, why no Pulitzer?

Because of an undiagnosed disorder which causes me to believe that a book will eventually get better if I keep going, I finished it. But it was like running on a treadmill. A lot of work was involved, but when I was done, I hadn't gone anywhere.

★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆