Believe in yourself... Chicken Little. Review on Sky Is Falling, The - Sidney Sheldon

I wish all MS members and readers of this page a VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR 2008.

Prelude

I have been an avid book reader right from childhood. Reading the Famous Fives used to send me to their fantastic world full of fun and adventure. The mystery solving abilities of the Three Investigators absolutely fascinated me. When I grew a little older, I started enjoying the Hardy Boys. And then graduated to Alistair MacLean, James Hadley Chase, Perry Mason, Sidney Sheldon, Robert Ludlum, James Clavell etc.  I read them right through college and the bachelor days. Somehow after marriage I just could not find so much time as to read anymore.

And then when my son grew up and also started reading, I knew he had inherited my love of books. I went through the same Tintin comics with him again and relived my childhood. I revised many of the mysteries of the Investigators that I had forgotten about. Now whenever I need to pass time I can count on his collection to pick something up. One such book I picked up from him was “The Sky is Falling” by Sidney Sheldon.

I had read many of Sheldon’s books starting from The Other Side of Midnight, Bloodline, Range of Angles, If Tomorrow Comes etc earlier and so when I found this one I thought I will give it a shot.

Introduction

All of Sheldon’s novels have a woman as the central character. This one has Dana Evans. She is a reporter and journalist who is quite popular in her own right having just returned after covering the strife torn Sarajevo. She now is an anchorwoman with a leading TV channel. She has also brought home an adopted boy, Kemal, who had lost not only both his parents but also an arm in the war and bombing of Sarajevo.

Main Plot

The Winthrop family of USA would have been termed “Royalty” had there been any such concept in the States. This is how the book introduces them. They are a family of past and present senators. The book opens with Dana conducting an interview of the last remaining man from the family, Gary Winthrop. The other four members of this famous family have already met with accidental deaths under mysterious circumstances in the past year. When Gary dies the very next day tragically shot by some ordinary burglars, stealing some art from his house, Dana is convinced it could not be a mere coincidence. So she decides to conduct an investigation of her own.  Thus begins her search that takes her deeper and deeper into the history of the family, to each and every site where the accidents supposedly occurred, to the witnesses who testified to the accidents. The more she digs the more people tell her how wrong she is. They are supposedly a perfect family with no enemies, no secrets, always helping charities and solving people’s problems.

It is on the verge of giving up and closing the case, that Dana finds out about a suite that was filed against the Winthrop’s and then hurriedly withdrawn after a big payoff. Following up on that lead again leads her to another corpse. But by now Dana is convinced that these are not simple accident deaths. The trail then takes her to several places all over Europe and Russia and puts her up against some of the most ruthless politicians and beurocrats there. It also reveals to her some of the deadly secrets of the Soviet Union days that lay hidden from the western world till today.

There are several other characters that she meets during this journey. Rodger Hudson, a former senator and billionaire and his wife Pamela, General Victor Booster, head of FRA who will soon play an important part as the drama unfold. As the story comes to a chilling climax the following questions are answered.

Will she be able to unfold the trail that covers the murderers. Will she be able to uncover the sinister truths that lie buried with the Winthorp bodies. Will she be able to protect herself and her little adopted son from these ruthless polititians.

Sub Plots

There are a couple of subplots that blend seamlessly with the main story as it progresses. The little boy Kemal, who adores the woman who has adopted him from such a war torn place and brought home to America. He is a natural fighter and survivor. He uses the same tactics when confronted with bullies in school that he used while trying to remain alive in the streets of a war torn country. He has several insecurities simmering within himself. Could this life with a new loving mother be really true, or would she soon get fed up of him and send him back.

Also in the book is the fiancée of Dana, Jeff Connors, but he doesn’t have too much of a role to play as he is busy attending to his ex wife suffering from cancer.

Reviewers take

I found this book fast paced and gripping as always. The sheer determination and grit of a single woman up against powerful persons not only of America but also Russia and her determined fight against them is portrayed in the typical Sheldon style. Also very well portrayed are the emotions, the loyalty, the insecurity, and rage of a small boy, brought from his familiar war torn country to the civilized American society.

*Conclusions

The book is an interesting read and the plot has been well knitted. You will not find a minute where the pace slackens or the book becomes boring.  Can easily be read once, specially now that this great writer who kept us entertained for more than 3 decades is no more…