Midwest Book Review Critiques the Cinquefoil Connection By Recy Dunn

The Cinquefoil Connection is an exciting tangled tale that is supported by 5 ruthless secondary characters that will not stop at anything - even murder - in order to have their own hand picked candidate occupy the highest office in the land.

(PRWEB) April 23, 2005 -- From Norman Goldman's Bookshelf.

The Cinquefoil Connection is an exciting tangled tale that is supported by 5 ruthless secondary characters that will not stop at anything - even murder - in order to have their own hand picked candidate occupy the highest office in the land.

These characters make up a secret organization, whose name - "cinquefoil" - is derived from the old French term that signifies a flower structure comprising 5, cinq, leaves, foil.

The opening chapters of the narrative brim with intrigue as readers find the principal protagonist, Johnathan McClendon, running for city council in the small Texas town of Clemens. His chances of initially winning the election seem very slim, until he is approached and eventually seduced into swallowing campaign aid from Samuel Lewis, a member of the Cinquefoil group. Seemingly this is like a small fish grabbing hold of huge bait, which ultimately proves to be the lesson of our novel.

Firing his campaign manager - Christopher Alvin - and replacing him with Lewis is the first of McCLendon's betrayals, as his political fortunes rise with the help and tutelage of these five remorseless individuals. Along the way there is a series of murders, adultery on the part of McCLendon's wife, election fraud and a series of other irregular treacheries - most of which are unbeknown to a naive McCLendon.

After 15 years of learning his skills as a political animal, our principal protagonist runs for the presidency of the United States. He succeeds in becoming the second youngest President of the United States, however, he is obliged to nominate as members of his cabinet all of the cinqefoil's choices, with the exception of the Vice President.

The Cinquefoil Connection is not without flaws, particularly in the editing and proofreading. There was also, from time to time, a lack of effective dynamism that keeps the episodes moving forward, holding readers captivated in the suspense of the scene. Furthermore, if the character of the principal protagonist had been pushed further, the dramatic structure of the book would have been more effective.

All in all and despite these flaws, this book has a great deal of potential and definitely is an impressive beginning for a debut novelist, who has demonstrated a zealous imagination and narrative acumen.

Established in 1976, the Midwest Book Review publishes several monthly publications for community and academic library systems in California, Wisconsin, and the upper Midwest.

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