Speaking at a World Trade Organization meeting in Amsterdam, his thoughts are well received by all. However, the use to which his advice is to be used is subject for argument. Some believe that those who have supported his endeavors financially should profit from his postulations. Others feel that mankind as a whole should benefit. When Fenster's hotel room is specifically targeted with a bomb which incinerates the occupant, it is obvious that no more groundbreaking insights will be forthcoming.

Because Fenster's death is an international crime, Interpol becomes the lead player in the search for his assassin. Interpol agent Henri Poincare is one of the lead investigators. Poincare's colleague, Serge Laurent, helps to assemble a long and varied list of possible perpetrators which include the Peruvian leader of the Indigenous People's Liberation Front, a religious group called Rapture which is predicting the imminent next coming of Christ, Charles Bell, a hedge fund director who has provided financial backing for Fenster's research for many years, Madeleine Rainier, Fenster's former fiancee, and Dana Chambli, a graduate student who had taken over Fenster's teaching load when his other commitments began to consume his time.

If Poincare's involvement in Fenster's case were not enough to occupy a man close to retirement age with a history of heart problems, he receives word of a man he helped put in prison for the massacre of a small village during the Serbian war. The man, Stipo Banovic, tells Poincare that because Poincare has deprived him of the pleasure of quietly rearing his own family he has put out a contract on Poincare's wife, married son and his son's family which includes a wife and three young children.

Poincare is in the midst of a dilemma. He has always counted on his work as an antidote to stress. If he dedicates his energy to the case involving Fenster, he will not, in his mind, be able to adequately protect his family against the hired assassins that Banovic will dispatch. Whichever decision he makes, he will be putting stress on his heart.

Although this book is being promoted as a thriller with religious, political, economic, and mathematical angles, it is, in fact, more about people and what motivates them. All of the references in these varied areas do not require more than a basic understanding to enjoy the novel. While the author does not presume that his readers have the vocabulary of a sixth grader, he does provides explanation, including illustrations of the concepts central to the plot.

The author presents some interesting ideas in the way that man made systems mirror systems in nature and some possible significance of these facts. This adds some depth to a novel which in itself is an interesting mystery. The mathematical concepts discussed do not require a background of higher education in the field so English majors need not be put off by the fact that one of the major characters is a mathematical genius.

Poincare is a likeable hero. He has his innate flaws and faults. Most readers will see something of themselves in the man. His heart though physically flawed is in the right place on an emotional level. Life is not always kind to the man, and it is easy to feel empathetic toward him. I am looking forward to his future adventures.

--Andy Plonka