Patti’s ProFan Review: Binary by Michael Crichton

Back in the late 60’s and early 70’s, Michael Crichton was a med student writing a series of books under the pen name of John Lange. At the end of the month, these books are being republished by Hard Case Crime and released under Crichton’s name. We were offered copies of a few of these books to read and review. I chose to take on a techno-thriller titled Binary.

The year is 1972 and intelligence agent John Graves has been running constant surveillance for 3 months on John Wright. Businessman Wright  has hired people to hijack a train to steal two different types of chemicals that combine to create a deadly nerve gas so potent it kills in seconds, which he will then release into downtown San Diego during a Republican party convention. Can Graves and his crew stop Wright from killing the whole of San Diego, including the president? You’ll have to find out for yourself. pre-order your copy of Binary at Amazon.

It’s a short novel, but that’s not a bad thing. Sometimes I prefer a book I can finish in a few hours. It might not be the most developed story, and it’s definitely dated, but that doesn’t stop it from being a very interesting read. It’s fast paced and enjoyable. I’m not really familiar with Crichton’s work (though we’ve all seen Jurassic Park), so I can’t make a comparison between his writing of old and stuff from later in his career. However, if early days Crichton is this good, I’m definitely looking forward to checking out some of his more popular books.

Binary will be available on October 29, 2013.