Where to Begin?

I thought this was a good idea. And of course, as with most projects whose end result should be growth of some kind, it's proving more difficult than I thought it would to be.

So, I'll keep it simple to start. I just finished reading Gayle Lynds' book The Coil. It is a book that falls squarely in the category of international espionage thriller. Add a twist of globalization angst, and you get a light read that makes you go "hmmmm".

I discovered this author because she's written some books the in the Covert-One series (the first of which, incidentally "co-written" by Ms. Lynds, was recently made into a miniseries on CBS). I think hers are the best of the series, but more on that on another date. [Remember, Eliel is going to keep this simple to start--Ed]

As to this book, there are some good passages that lay out the issues revolving around globalization and it's effect on world economies that are pretty bluntly put. During the climax of the novel, one of the main players in the book, whose clandestine organization has been involved in manipulating world economies watches anti-globalization demonstrators do their thing and it provides reason for this exchange:

"... To be against globalization is to want to turn back the clock. To believe the earth is flat. To believe in fairies and witches, and to pray to pagan gods." He sighed.
"What do these demonstrators want?" he demanded

Pretty much the view of captains of industry these days. And his response from his chief of security is pretty on point as well with regard to presenting the oppositions view:

"To re-create the IMF and World Bank", Duchesne said. "To end all Third World debt. To put a one percent tax on speculative financial transactions worldwide in order to raise a trillion-dollar fund for underdeveloped countries to direct their own growth. To bring to a Nuremberg-style trial those they hold responsible for the new global economic disorder and vast shift of wealth from the poor and middle class to the already rich."

Pretty well on point and worth some thought. Of course, as with any book, there are some predictive misses that are a little distracting in the book for those up on current affairs: several characters complain about oil being at thirty-five dollars a barrel and how that's causing a global recession affecting all of the world's multinationals. Needless to say, 35 dollars a barrel would be nice to see again in the next 30 years. But while the number is off, Ms. Lynds got the culprit right.

All in all, it's a good read for those who enjoy spy novels that are more plot driven than in-depth looks into an individual character's minds (a la early Ludlum). This book has a cast of dozens and sometimes keeping them all straight drives one to distraction.

Finally, I should point out that this is really a sequel to another book of Ms. Lynds that I have not yet read, but will soon.