Saturday, March 31, 2012

REMOTE CONTROL by Kotaro Isaka

Finished Fr 3/30/12

GoodReads post:

The whole novel is really an extrapolation on the idea that, "Lee Harvey Oswald was a patsy". And, this means that the real killer or killers allowed a 'chump' or a 'fall guy' to assume responsibility for the killing of the 35TH president of the United States, and therefore concealed their involvement. However, in the case of REMOTE CONTROL, the subject is not the Kennedy assassination, but rather the fictional killing of the prime minister of Japan in a not too distant future.

The novel is very successful at presenting a thrilling and compelling plot, but in the end, we really never find out who was behind the set-up or what was their true motivation. We see an 'average guy' who is caught up in a chain of events which make it appear that he is a killer, and he must prove his innocence by using his friends to help him elude the authorities. Because it is never revealed who is behind the set-up, we never find out how far back the con began, or whether or not his friends were enlisted in the plan without their knowledge.

When I finished the novel, I felt a bit let down, because I wanted to know the nature of the conspiracy. But, for an action-packed, thriller/adventure, the novel delivers everything and more. Also, since the music of the Beatles played such a crucial role in setting the tone for the book, and also linking the plot to the famous, real-life event, I think that the original title of the novel, GOLDEN SLUMBER, should have been retained. But, this is a minor point, and, needless to say, the novel would make a terrific film.

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