Generaally I read four books at a time, one each in my two bathrooms, one by my bed, and one out on the porch. When Saul comes along, I generally read straight through, because not only does he continually deepen the unusual feature that is his theme, in this case the conspiracy of a large company to develope a formula that takes over the brains of "agitators," but he also kills off the protagonist and/or people you thought integral to life throuigh the book. ( )

This was my first John Saul book and overall was pleased. A nice quick read that kept me guessing somewhat to what was going on. By midway, I had figured out what was happening and was waiting to see how it was all resolved. The resolution left something to be desired in my mind. It seemed rushed, in that we spent 425 pages building up to the climax, which then only lasted a short 25 pages or so. Characters were developed enough for this story. I don’t really care to see any of them again. Nice story with enough twists to keep me interested. ( )

cover:
Borrego looks like an ordinary New Mexico town: it borders an Indian reservation, its teenagers are bored and restless, and its only industry is the outdated oil refinery. But someone has a plan to shake up Borrego that involves controlling the minds of the local residents. When Judith Sheffield is asked to return to her sleepy hometown to teach high school math, she discovers that the students' mandatory flu shots don't really contain flu vaccine. The teacher joins forces with refinery worker Frank Arnold; his teenage son, Jed, whose mother belonged to the neighboring tribe; and Brown Eagle, the boy's grandfather, to find out what and who is behind the flu-shot edict and an equally mysterious takeover bid for the oil refinery.