Big If

NPR recommended Big If in light of the Secret Service’s recent lapses. If you are looking for a tightly woven cop novel this book isn’t for you, nor do you want to read it if you are into psychological suspense. This is a character driven story about members of the Vice President’s security detail as he campaigns for the presidency.

Costello takes a deep dive into the Secret Service as a career choice. Agents spend long stretches of time away from their families. In the space of a day they can go from complete boredom (watching endless hours of video screens at Camp David) to high alert on the ropes at public events, constantly having to balance the urge to pounce with the need for restraint. They acknowledge that a job well done show more might mean the ultimate sacrifice, but a job poorly done is unthinkable.

Their personal backstories depict middle class Americans facing ordinary challenges. Gretchen Williams, the team’s leader, is a bitter single parent trying to cope with her sullen teenage son. Vi Apslund reflects on what feels like a meaningless existence following the death of her beloved but somewhat eccentric father. Tashmo works to save his marriage despite his own long term struggles with fidelity, and in fact, has learned that he fathered the son of a fellow agent. They all seem like they’re about to crack, or at the very least to be suffering from extreme depression. Adding to everyone’s anxiety is having lost (literally, lost) a fellow agent (Tashmo’s cuckold) in the chaos of a flash flood during an unscheduled campaign event.

Costello’s style is inconsistent. At times the story is highly satirical (well done, by the way), at other times merely funny, and at other times simple narration. The reasons for including multiple subplots is not apparent (at least to me), unless he does so to help flesh out character (but not all the characters’ roles were apparent to me either). I can’t say I felt sympathy for these characters (everybody has demons). If this story accurately portrays Secret Service agents, I’m a little concerned that such glum, distracted individuals are charged with protecting the most important people on the planet. show less

Jens and Vi Asplund are adult siblings with very different lives. Jens lives in New Hampshire with his real estate wife and toddler son. He spends his days as a computer programmer writing programs for violent video games his father never approved of. His sister, Violet is Secret Service bodyguard sworn to protect the life of the Vice President of the United States. She has nothing that resembles a social life, a love life, or even a home life. If she is lonely she would never admit it.
Big If takes you inside the creative and neurotic genius of software programmers. Simultaneously, you are drawn into every potential threat made to high powered public officials, as well as reliving old threats-come-true like the assassination attempt on show more President Reagan. Jens and Vi couldn't have different lives and seem worlds apart...until they collide. show less

Big If was Big Disappointment. Excellent NY Times review and a great opening chapter. After that, endless detail that went nowhere. At times, there were some funny lines but those were few are far apart.

You knew there would be an assassination attempt and, predictably enough, it happened. A few pages later, the book ended.