Book Review: Gospel by Sydney Bauer
A David Cavanaugh Legal Thriller set in Boston
Set in Boston, Sydney Bauer’s legal thriller Gospel (Macmillan, 2007) is a tightly written suspense tale that will keep readers engaged until its gripping conclusion.
Plot Summary
U.S. Vice President Tom Bradshaw has everything required to guarantee his succession to the Presidency. He is a young, charismatic family man with a beautiful blonde wife and all the right connections, but his political career comes to an end when he is found dead in the penthouse of a Boston hotel prior to a campaign dinner. Bradshaw’s personal physician, Professor Stuart Montgomery is charged with his murder. Montgomery’s wife Karin turns to her ex-husband, Boston defence attorney David Cavanaugh, to represent the man she left him for ten years earlier.
In order to discover the truth, Cavanaugh finds himself dealing with competing factions within the Boston Police Department, the FBI and the CIA, as well as a powerful gang of four, who are manipulating events from behind the scenes. These four mysterious figures go by the codenames Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, and will stop at nothing to achieve their ultimate goal.
A Fast-Moving Plot
Gospel opens with a bang, but because of its complex narrative it then takes some time to pick up speed. Characters from all the security branches of the U.S. need to be introduced and in the early chapters there are so many names and ranks mentioned that it is a little confusing trying to determine who is who. In addition, there is a lot of back story required for the characters of Cavanaugh, Bradshaw and Montgomery. Once this is established and the plot becomes more linear, the novel moves along at a cracking pace, with more murders and stunning revelations that keep the reader speculating. The second half of the novel in particular is full of suspense and twists and the conclusion is well set up yet still surprising.
Well Portrayed Characters
Also appearing in Bauer’s debut novel Undertow (Macmillan, 2005), David Cavanaugh is a likeable main character – the typical honourable attorney found at the centre of many popular legal thrillers. While such an intricately plotted novel leaves little room for in depth characterisation, Bauer does a good job of portraying the key players in the story. Both heroes and villains are easily liked or despised as appropriate, but there are enough shades of grey in their motives to take them beyond clear-cut stereotypical good and bad guys.
About the Author
Sydney Bauer is a pseudonym for Australian author Kimberley Scott. She is an ex-journalist and television executive, and the influence of her self-confessed passion for dramas such as The West Wing and 24 is obvious in Gospel. The novel will appeal to fans of these programs, as well as fans of the thriller genre in general. Bauer’s third David Cavanaugh novel, Alibi, was released by Macmillan in April 2008.
