Once upon a time Richard A. Clarke was an intelligence advisor for the president. These days, as a retiree he spends his days showing us what best selling authors are made of. Clarke’s latest work of intrigue-filled fiction is known simply as Breakpoint.

Set in 2012, Breakpoint offers a look at life in the future while being perfectly mixed with a thought provoking whodunit. When being interviewed before the release of this novel, Clarke mentioned that sometimes “you can tell more truth through fiction”.

This small quote alone makes the book worth reading as you decipher the message in Clarke’s words and determine how much of this story are things he holds true and how much is meant to entertain us without a true valuable lesson to be learned. Chances are you will come out with far more of the former and less of the latter as you read this and other works of Clarke.

Breakpoint takes us through a strong mystery. Characters, Susan Connor and Rusty MacIntyre work for the government. He is the director of the US Intelligence Analysis and she is the head of a Special Projects Operation. Connor is a strong character who does her job well. Some might say you see bits of Connor in Clarke, especially where the job is concerned. After all, Clarke had been in Intelligence for years and worked with numerous presidents, including the current leader of the country.

Connor is given the task of solving a series of sophisticated and highly planned underwater explosions and bombings around Washington D.C. While there are lines of investigators from police to FBI and on down the line, Connor is there doing digging of her own, in her own way.

As the book progresses you will see the threat of terror moves beyond things we have imagined or possibly even planned for in the past (which is our present). There are moments, when Connor is investigating to find the culprits of the crimes when someone that is not technologically refined will have brain overload. However, this intelligent thriller allows people to understand enough, if not more than needed, to follow along and get sucked into the plot.

People that lack patience will read this book quickly because they will want to know what happens, and fast. Unfortunately for them, Clarke holds on until the very end, and while he may tease you, slowly revealing possible criminals, you do not know the true answers until the very last minute.

Bottom Line: Clarke provides a strong plot with plenty to think about. This deep novel is not something that all people will easily understand. Whether you have to read a few things over or just wish to go back as you consider what you’ve just read, one thing is for sure, Breakpoint gives you plenty to think about during the novel and once the book has been closed.

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