PARADIME

The plot twists can get a little confusing in the latest high-tech sci-fi thriller from Glynn (The Dark Fields, 2001, etc.). But at least readers will never be quite as confused as Danny Lynch, the story’s unlucky not-quite hero.

From the start, Danny is a mess: he’s recently back from Afghanistan where he worked a low-level job in food services for the defense contractor Gideon Logistics. He’s traumatized by his memories of witnessing a horrific act of violence for which Gideon officials were to blame; now their lawyers want to shut him up. But instead of making threats, they set him up with another, more desirable kitchen job in a high-end restaurant. The situation quickly turns strange when Danny notices that one of the restaurant’s regular patrons looks exactly like him. He investigates online and finds that his double is Teddy Trager, a visionary investor and founder of Paradime Capital. Before long he’s fully obsessed with Teddy—stalking him through New York, posing as him at public events, even managing to sleep with his girlfriend. Danny’s own girlfriend, Kate, already mad at him for not having the courage to blow the whistle on Gideon, now fears he’s losing his marbles. Until Danny and Teddy have their one face-to-face encounter, the story maintains a deliciously creepy atmosphere, with dark humor as Danny manages to sneak into Teddy’s life.

The plot keeps moving with plenty of effective surprises, and the final chapters successfully navigate to an even darker tone. So the not-quite-resolved ending seems perfectly appropriate, even if you have to read it over to make sense of it.