Imagine you're a Secret Service Agent - the "best of the best" when it comes to safeguarding the most important man in the world.  Now, imagine your body moving as if on its own.  You don't know why, but your arm is raised, the gun is pointed at the President's head, and your finger is about to pull the trigger...

This is what happens to Bill Sullivan in Richard Aellen's The Cain Conversion.  Luckily, he was able to stop the strange impulse before anyone got hurt.  But Bill's job and his very sanity are now being questioned.  What unseen force took control of his brain and nearly caused the unthinkable to happen?

To understand what happened, the author takes us back to Russia, four decades earlier.  When a young boy is taken from his home, and becomes a guinea pig in a psychological experiment too bizarre to fathom, too deadly to contemplate.

The story, itself, is pretty interesting.  Told in multiple timelines, we get to piece together a puzzle, one that ultimately leaves Bill searching his past for answers.  And we get to meet the doctor who conducted the experiments all those years ago.  And, through snippets of her journal we come to understand exactly who Bill is, and what makes him "different" from the rest of us.

I enjoyed this book, even though the story felt a bit familiar.  I guess I've read too many books about secret organizations conducting secret psychological experiments.  Still, there were a few parts that were surprises.  And I thought the inclusion of the doctor's journal was an inspired decision on the author's part.  It was much more exciting to read about the project from the point of view of the doctor, rather than merely being told what occurred.    On the other hand, the story does get a bit complicated and I found myself re-reading sections of the journal in order to make sure I was following it correctly.

There was plenty of action, quite a bit of mystery, and some very intriguing scenes where we get fascinating clues leading up the "big reveal".  In addition, there are some very smart little kids that were a delight to read about.

However, this book is not for the faint of heart.  There are some extremely violent sections, including abuse and torture of children and animals.  I caution away those who don't want to read such passages. 

But as a novel that combines Russian spy tactics with psychological experimentation, as well as a 40-year-old mystery, the book certainly held my attention.  Recommended, with the above-stated caution.

Flash Point

Recommended: Yes