What better subject for a book than a story about a book?
The plot of "The List" by Steve Martini, takes a classical theme -- mistaken identity -- and shakes things up just a little in order to include murder, mayhem and insight into the publishing world.
Abby Chandlis, the protagonist, a struggling lawyer aspiring to be a writer, pens a brilliant novel, but realizes she cannot get it published.
Chandlis is hesitant to send her book to publishers, since a previous work she wrote did not fare well in the market. So, she creates a pen name for herself: Gable Cooper.
Abby, posing as Cooper's lawyer, describes his alter-ego to a literary agent as a veritable Stephen King thus heightening interest in the new book.
Suddenly everyone is interested in Gable Cooper: Hollywood, a big-name New York publisher, and, most of all, the novel's real author.
Abby and her two friends in a search to find a suitable face to portray Gable Cooper, seek out the strikingly handsome Jack Jermaine, a former Marine and out-of-work writer.
However, not all of Abby's problems are that easily solved, because the book, riding on the waves of bestsellerdom, has provoked someone to begin murdering people close to Abby.
The climax of the novel is a brilliant finale of violence, suspense, and betrayal. The murderer dies a spectacular death.
"The List" has the potential for greatness. It provides an in-depth look at the butt-kissing, deceitful underworld of book publishing. There are several gripping action scenes, and there is some brilliant suspense in the murders, the literary equivalents of a cinematic walk up dark, foreboding stairs.
All in all, the book, however, is mediocre. The biggest problem is that Martini seems mainly interested in writing a movie. Almost everything about the plot and the writing seems designed to inspire a summer blockbuster.
In addition, there are several serious flaws in the story. The identity of the murderer is always hinted at so fiercely that any astute reader knows that the main suspect cannot possibly be the one that committed the crimes.
The character of Jack Jermaine seems too good to be true: charming, attractive, humorous, and good in a scrap. He appears in the midst of what had been a highly realistic book, speckling it with scenes that are more appropriate in a cheesy action film.
Then there is Abby Chandlis. A stereotypical middle-aged woman, convinced she is not as beautiful as she obviously is. As she watches her pseudonym gain worldwide fame, she begins to realize that she has given up part of her identity. This could have provided Martini with a chance to delve into the psychological costs of such actions, but he only glances at it.
More screenplay than book, "The List" is eventful however Martini leaves many aspects of the book unexplored.
