THE SIGN

Khoury’s third high-concept thriller (Sanctuary, 2007, etc.) features much ado about an apparition in the Antarctic sky. Is it a sign from God—or maybe not so much?

TV journalist Gracie Logan can’t believe her telegenic eyes. There she is in Antarctica, doing a piece on global warming when suddenly…OK, what exactly is it up there? “It was beyond understanding, beyond definition.” Well, whatever it actually is, it’s awesome: big, bright and more than a little scary. “It’s a sign,” says one onlooker as she crosses herself, clearly a believer. “Of what?” someone else asks skeptically, thus launching a debate that will grow ever more heated in the days to come. Meanwhile, in another part of the planet (Boston, to be precise), hulking ex-convict Matt Sherwood, currently committed to the straight and narrow, meets with nerdy Vince Bellinger, who is the bearer of shocking tidings. Seeing the televised apparition has activated neurons in Vince’s spectacular cognitive apparatus, convincing him that Danny Sherwood, Matt’s beloved younger brother and Vince’s fellow brainiac, did not in fact die two years ago in an accidental chopper crash into shark-infested waters while working on some extremely hush-hush science project. For reasons beyond the ken of ordinary folk, Vince has become certain that foul play was involved. Before he can do much to explain, however, he too meets death by taser and syringe, a fate Matt narrowly evades. Matt, in whom the blood of action heroes flows, now knows he has no choice but to dig for answers. Not easy. Secret agendas and dueling conspiracies form daunting obstacles, but he presses on to the end of the tunnel, where he’ll find Gracie waiting along with the answers, eternal and otherwise.

Uninspired.