The Bottom Line: This engaging conspiracy thriller about executive power delivers a whopping twist that you’ll never see coming.
On a trip to Rome with his fiance, Special Agent Harrison Rossetti is visiting his old friend at the Vatican, Pope Josetta, when he gets a call he hoped would never come: the President of the United States is missing.
Harrison leaves the gravely ill pope to return home. But once he arrives, he finds that things are not as they seem. Proposed changes to national security policy astound him. A conspiracy is afoot, and the concept of treason seems more fluid than ever. In order to protect the United States from extremists, and the president himself, Harrison must work alone – even if it means putting his own life at risk.
In Edward Galluzzi’s hero, readers will find a man who is absolutely defined by his sense of duty to the President and the country. Still, Galluzzi uses Harrison’s relationship with the ailing Pope and his fiance to add depth that is uncommon in the political thriller genre. When it comes to fight scenes, Galluzzi spares no details. Along the way, he manages to defy gender stereotypes in intriguing ways.
A few strokes of luck that tip the scales of power may prove to be a stretch of plausibility for some readers, but nevertheless, Mirror, Mirror at 1600 D.C. is guaranteed to entertain and surprise. Overall, Galluzzi delivers a solid outing that will satisfy anyone even remotely interested in the protection of the executive branch.
