State of Mind by John Katzenbach takes a fascinating look at a not-too-distant future.  A future where violence is the norm.  Where everyone is armed, where teachers dole out nothing but high grades for fear of retribution, where ground-floors are abandoned, thought of as too risky.  A grim outlook, indeed.  But a new state is being formed.  The 51st state is to be a salvation from the rest of the country.  For in this state, one is assured total safety.  No need to even lock your doors at night.  Sure, you give up a few personal rights in exchange for this security, but to the citizens of this state, it's worth it.

So when a serial killer starts striking out within the borders of this state, it's a political nightmare.  And who better than to track the killer than the country's expert on the topic, Professor Jeffrey Clayton.  But when Jeffrey starts investigating the crimes, one startling detail emerges - the killer is very likely Jeffrey's own father, long thought dead.  With the help of the rest of his family, and the politicians who only want to contain this disaster, Jeffrey will be on a mission - to stop a murderous father.

Without a doubt, this book held my interest as I wanted to know how it would all work out in the end.  And, I found the concept of a state built specifically for safety, a fascinating one.  One I wanted to know a whole lot more about - exactly what personal rights did one have to give up in order to achieve this goal?

Sadly, they didn't go into enough detail for my taste regarding the state.  They touched upon some of the rules and policies but not nearly enough to satisfy me.  Being such a large part of the story, I felt it deserved a more thorough explanation.

However they went into far too much detail in other areas.  Very long, drawn out passages of description.  Dialog that stretched on and on.  In one case, a huge paragraph containing 21 sentences was used to answer a question.  When, in fact, the character was basically just saying "I don't know".  I had to laugh at that example.  In real life, nobody could possibly speak 21 sentences in answer to a question, without the questioner interrupting them... especially when the answer all boils down to a complete non-answer!  Other times long paragraphs describe scenery, weather conditions, etc.  The author was overly verbose in some areas, while skimping on the details that I was really interested in!

Other than this one issue, I enjoyed the book very much.  The characters are well-defined, and the protagonists are very likeable.  Jeffrey's sister creates puzzles for a living, and part of the story revolves around her father sending her coded messages that she's left to figure out.  It was fun to watch this process as she slowly puts the pieces together to figure out the messages.  Jeffrey is also likeable, as his their mother.  Don't go underestimating the old lady --- she is every bit as smart and feisty as her kids!

An enjoyable book, one I can easily recommend.

Recommended: Yes