The Omega Theory
A David Swift and Monique Reynolds Mystery by Mark Alpert
Review: Mark Alpert blends science fact with science fiction -- the lines are very blurred -- in a quest to stop the total destruction of the planet, maybe even the universe, in The Omega Theory, the second thriller to feature historian Davis Swift and quantum physicist Monique Reynolds.
Michael Gupta, the autistic teenaged adopted son of David and Monique, is kidnapped from his behavioral therapy session in Manhattan. The great-grandson of Albert Einstein, Michael has memorized one of the physicist's prominent, though unpublished, discoveries, the "unified field theory", that which explains the relationship between all known forces. A group of "True Believers", radicals who posit that the only way to cleanse the universe of the evil on the planet is to destroy it, are responsible for taking Michael. Coincidentally -- or not? -- at the same time of Michael's abduction, Iran sets of a nuclear device that observers say has altered the very state of the universe. David and Monique team up with FBI agent Lucille Parker, and set off to the Middle East to find their son ... but also to prevent the ultimate destruction of the earth.
Readers are taken on a wild ride here, and will likely feel rewarded by the journey. The action starts almost at once and doesn't let up, encompassing the disparate (or maybe not so much so) worlds of science, religion and politics -- past, present, and immediate future. The beliefs that drive men and women, both good and evil, to achieve their goals, at any cost, are also what propel the plot forward. The characters are somewhat thinly developed, more superficial than substantive, and David and Monique's actions and reactions with respect to the kidnapping of their child don't always ring true, but The Omega Theory is first and foremost a dynamic, driven action thriller, one that delivers on its premise.
Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of The Omega Theory.
Acknowledgment: Touchstone provided a copy of The Omega Theory for this review.
Review Copyright © 2011 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved
Selected reviews of other mysteries by this author …
Final Theory
Touchstone (Hardcover), June 2008
ISBN-13: 9781416572879; ISBN-10: 1416572872
Location(s) referenced in The Omega Theory: New York City, Middle East
— ◊ —
The Omega Theory by Mark Alpert
Publisher: Touchstone
Format: Hardcover
ISBN-10: 1-4165-9534-1
ISBN-13: 978-1-4165-9534-2
Publication Date: February 2011
List Price: $24.99
Synopsis (from the publisher): The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid. And a child shall lead them. She smiled. "That’s you, Michael. That’s why Brother Cyrus needs you. You’re going to help us fulfill the prophecy."
The national media reports that, despite U.S. warnings, Iran has tested a nuclear bomb. But the blast from the device is different and far more dangerous than that of any previous nuclear weapon. Surveillance instruments show that for one split second an event occurred that had not taken place since the Big Bang fourteen billion years ago. Meanwhile, science historian David Swift and quantum physicist Monique Reynolds learn that their autistic son, Michael, has been kidnapped by a militant cult called the True Believers. Michael, a descendant of Albert Einstein, has inherited Einstein’s remarkable intelligence and is the only person in the world who knows Einstein’s last secret — the Final Theory, a set of equations that could explain all the forces of nature. Only those who understand the key to creation could know how to destroy it. The Iranian nuclear blast is a demonstration of this understanding.
Soon David and Monique realize their desperate search for Michael is also a desperate race to stop the horrific power of the theory from being unleashed. Joining forces with FBI Agent Lucille Parker, David and Monique race from the Old City of Jerusalem to the deserts of Turkmenistan to rescue Michael and stop the cult’s fanatic leader. Their journey proves just how difficult it is to stop those who are willing to die in the name of God.