Javitt, Jonathan: Capitol Reflections

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Gwen Maulder is a scientist with the Food and Drug Administration whose off-the-clock investigation of a friend's unexpected death leads her to uncover a nation-wide pattern of similar suspicious deaths. She also stumbles on a conspiracy involving prominent businessmen and elected officials, one whose roots lie in the arcane research conducted by a Princeton undergraduate in the mid-1970s. A handful of people wind up helping Gwen--an investigative reporter, a senator, a security specialist--and all of them wind up in danger of losing their lives at the hands of a secret cabal.

Jonathan Javitt's resumé makes him particularly suited to write about national health concerns from the point of view of a Washington insider: he has, among other things, served as senior White House health adviser in the last three administrations. His debut novel offers up a decent story with enough scientific background to sell the plot. But the book never quite manages to thrill: sometimes the explanatory sections slow the narrative down, and the book can get a little preachy. Javitt's dialogue can be clunky, and Gwen and her cronies never seem real enough to inspire emotional attachment. Javitt's characters also seem far too eager to jump to conclusions, and are sometimes too quick to understand the import of complicated data.

Still, Capitol Reflections is not a bad first effort. Javitt is currently working on a second Gwen Muldauer novel. With improved pacing and character development, it could be a book to watch for.