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Jacki Acampora, Book Review Editor of The Armchair Detective says:
Turn on your computer, slip a disk in the CD-ROM and call this picture up on the monitor. You and a friend are hanging out on your front porch when a car slows up, a rifle pokes out of the window and a bullet flies in your direction. Think there's enough memory on your hard drive to figure out why?
If you get the idea that Show Control has something to do with computers, you're right, but it's much more than those "cyber" novels. The hero, Jason Keltner, uses a computer to compose electronic music, but you don't have to understand how he does it (I don't) to enjoy this book. Author Keith Snyder has created a nice-guy hero, a creepy villain, an engaging supporting cast, and a house with character.
When his musician friend, Monica Gleason, is killed onstage by one of her own lasers, Jason decides to do some investigating, in the course of which, we find e-mail and hard drives and electronic gizmos galore. But when it comes down to tactics for fighting bad guys, Jason turns to an old-fashioned, no mouse to click, paper and ink book for guidance. The book, The Art Of War, sends Jason and his two best friends, Martin and Robert, tooling around Los Angeles and attracting the attention of both big-time mob types and federal agents.
The dialogue is fast and fun, though Mr. Snyder has a tendency to cuteness in the give-and-take of conversation between friends. There's plenty of action, several surprises, and a nice tie-it-up ending. I liked Show Control, liked the characters, and hope they'll be showing up in more books by Keith Snyder.
--Jackie Acampora
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