Conspirator's Odyssey: The Evolution of the Patron Saint [2008] - A.K. Kuykendall

"Well, as you should be aware, all of us in this country, and I do mean all, are nothing but objects in a foreign, domestic, and most assuredly an intergalactic chess game."

As a conspiracy theory buff, I enjoyed Conspirator's Odyssey from the very first page when I came across the following quote from John F. Kennedy: "The very word secrecy is repugnant in a free and open society. We are as a people inherently and historically opposed to secret societies, to secret oaths, and to secret proceedings. We decided long ago that the dangers of excessive and unwarranted concealment of pertinent facts far outweighed the dangers, which are cited to justify it."

Conspirator's Odyssey skillfully blends major conspiracy theories from the Roswell Incident to the Bay of Pigs to the JFK assassination to Vietnam to Watergate to 9/11 and beyond into a tightly wound, suspenseful thriller. At its core, however, is a plea for the United States to dismantle the "Military-Industrial Complex" and return to the idealism represented by President John F. Kennedy:

"The historic actions that took place during his administration and his unfortunate assassination by power-hungry modern-day cowboys made us average Americans take notice. These cowardly modern-day cowboys hired gunmen to ambush him from a distance, waiting for the opportune moment to wreak havoc upon our nation. This single action made us notice the corrupt powers that hovered—and still hover—over American society.

His choice to go against the grain instead of following the corrupt flow of history sealed his fate with certain powerful Americans. These men are hidden within the corrupt bowels of secret societies—the very secret societies he boldly denounced. Things have gotten completely out of hand since his death, for these secret societies are running amok within our government."

Conspirator's Odyssey is one of the first conspiracy thrillers I've ever read that introduces a complex and dynamic female character as its protagonist. Captain Kalista Flaker, an Army Ranger with a troubled past ("Raised in a home filled with drunks and drug addicts, it was hell on earth . . .") who is sent on a covert operation to Vietnam in 1998, uncovers a vast conspiracy with roots that stretch back to the Roswell UFO Incident in 1947.

The debut novel of author A.K. Kuykendall, Conspirator's Odyssey is a compulsive page turner that I highly recommend. Any reader obsessed with conspiracy theories will want a copy of Conspirator's Odyssey on their bookshelf (conversely, if you aren't into conspiracy theories, you will probably want to skip this one). Fortunately it is the first in a planned series of "conspiracy thriller" novels. I believe this series will soon develop a deserving cult following and I eagerly look forward to the next installment!

For more information about Conspirator's Odyssey, visit www.thewriterofbooks.com.

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