I like thrillers, especially thrillers with conspiracy themes. When I read one, I usually do it in one sitting, taking a break only to go to the bathroom or fix myself another cup of coffee.

It doesn’t matter if I believe in the conspiracy or not. A good fiction writer can persuade me to temporarily suspend disbelief and draw me into his story. For example, I knew the conspiracy at the heart of Dan Brown’s The da Vinci Code was a crock and the “history” it presented as evidence was distorted, but it didn’t stop me from enjoying the novel.

On the other hand, a novel based on a plausible conspiracy supported by actual history can, nevertheless, be a bore. Glenn Beck’s new thriller, The Overton Window, isn’t a bore, but it didn’t pass my one-sitting test, either. (True, I had a lot of other things to do yesterday, when I sat down to read it. But if a novel is truly gripping, I’ll put off everything — including eating — in order to finish it. As it happened, I didn’t finish it until this morning.)

Don’t get me wrong. It’s still an enjoyable read, but it doesn’t come up to the level of a Dan Brown or Michael Crichton thriller. Read more »