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An actuary, according to my handy-dandy Merriam-Webster dictionary, is "one who calculates insurance and annuity premiums, reserves, and dividends." Actually, a friend of mine who frequently gives legal seminars is fond of beginning such mind-numbing exercises by defining an actuary as "an accountant who doesn't have the force of personality to become a CPA." Lots of nasty things happen to an actuary in DETOUR, the new James Siegel novel, and that definition is the least of them, believe me.
Paul Breidbart is the actuary; he and his wife, Joanna, want nothing more than
to have a child. They have been trying to conceive for years, without success.
When they open their hearts to the possibility of adoption they find that the
quickest way to be matched with a child is to travel to Colombia. Travel --- and
life --- in Colombia is fraught with danger, yet everything happens on schedule.
They receive a baby girl who is perfect in every way. The adoption proceeds without
any problem. That is, until the Breidbarts leave their new infant daughter alone
for a few hours with their new nanny.
When they return, they slowly but inexorably come to realize that they now have
a different child. And, indeed, their baby has been switched. They can still get
their newly adopted daughter back. All Paul has to do is smuggle, or in the vernacular,
"mule," two million dollars worth of cocaine from Colombia to Jersey City. He
delivers the cocaine (within a narrow time limit, of course), a telephone call
is made, and his wife and their new daughter get to leave Colombia and fly home.
Paul, of course, is way outside of his element. The only things he is used to pushing are pencils and papers. He somehow makes it to Jersey City on time. It appears, however, that someone is determined that the cocaine Paul is carrying is not going to make it to where it is supposed to go, and the fates of Paul's wife and daughter are of no consequence. Paul finds himself in a nightmare scenario where he must not only keep himself alive but also must bring his wife and daughter home as well. Joanna's chances for survival, however, are even more tenuous than Paul's --- and her captors are growing increasingly impatient.
Siegel's narrative ability is first-rate. The sentences fly right off the pages as the they keep turning, revealing surprise after surprise. I gave up trying to figure out what would happen after the first 60 pages or so, and it was just as well. Siegel also pulls off the neat trick of introducing a major, captivating character --- always difficult to do --- in the last fourth or so of the novel, and saves the best surprise for the last three pages. DETOUR is one novel you'll want to finish without coming up for air.
--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
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