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KINGDOM DUMB
Cattle mutilations. The Roswell UFOs. Crop circles. A black Madonna (no, not Whitney Houston). These and more are "explained" in Jim Hougan's overwrought conspiracy thriller, "Kingdom Come." Hougan is half the team using the pseudonymn John Case for his/their other books, and I have to admit, Case's works are far superior to this one. Admittedly, I am not a true fan of the "espionage" thriller, so I may be a bit prejudiced, but as a thriller connosieur, I found this book tedious, redundant and at times very boring. The pacing is incredibly slow, and when the action scenes do arrive, they are crisp and efficient, if not a little bloody. Anyway, Jack Dunphy and cohort Clementine are likeable characters, and you find yourself wanting to cheer them on as they search for the reasons Jack was booted out of the CIA and why his life is in danger. The additional threat from the man Jack "steals" money from only tends to bog down the true plot. At any rate, by the time Jack and Clementine reach the source of their search, the ending is so mystic and enigmatic, that one wonders why the book was even written. Technically, Hougan has some fine touches, but overall, is at best a mediocre read.

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Kingom Come -- A Novel of Conspiracy by Jim Hougan
Jim Hougan has written a thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Full of action, plot twists, and adventure, the reader follows the harrowing exploits of Jack Dunphy as he eludes CIA operatives, Corsican mobsters, and members of a secret religious society. This novel is not for the intellectually weak; the plot includes references to Carl Jung, Allen Dulles, the Apocrypha, and religious history dating from the time of Christ. Hougan has also included elements reminiscent of the Twilight Zone involving the US military and the CIA (conspiracy buffs will enjoy this). All in all, "Kingdom Come" is a treat, best enjoyed at one sitting. If you like science fiction, conspiracy, travel through Europe, and a bit of romance then this novel is for you. A thoroughly enjoyable read.

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Poorer Man's DaVinci Code
Whether writting under his psuedonym John Case with his wife, or going solo, Jim Hougan has a definite gift for creating likeable characters who get caught up in the unexpected while carrying out seemingly dronelike yet out of the ordinary jobs. Hougan's main man in "Kingdom Come", Jack Dunphy has been relegated to glorified information gopher at Langley after having been pulled off an undercover assignment in London after the death of an Oxford Professor of Jungian psychology whom he had under surveillance. Dunphy's annoyance at being yanked from his cozy nest with British sweetie Clementine enhanced by the frustratingly endless grunt work of public information gathering lead him to buck the system and uncover the relevance of the professor's death. What he discovers is a Gordian knot of intrigue that eventually threatens his life and the lives of anyone with whom he comes into contact.

As Dunphy plows through clues that take him all over Europe, the reader breathlessly turns page after page, liking Dunphy and his cohorts immediately. The facts that he uncovers make for fascinating reading---puzzlers will enjoy being thrown information seemingly straight out of left field. Unfortunately, as the story leads into its ultimate denouement, it becomes choppy, the ending sequences beginning at the estate within the Swiss National Park and the ending voyage at sea seem rushed and not fully thought out, as if the author had run out of steam and simply wanted to finish the story under 400 pages. The last paragraph leads the reader to believe some sort of transference has taken place, but obviously this is certainly not developed and there seems no hint of a part two where the reader can stretch his imagination further.

Kingdom Come utilizes themes that have become familiar territory after the publication of the very popular "DaVinci Code". But in as much as that novel also rushes the reader in and out of intriguing snippets of history replete with secret societies, it does come to a fairly complete, if not predictable, conclusion--not so with "Kingdom Come"---the protoganists accomplish their missions, but the ending seems to grasp at something not quite touched upon in the main body of the work. I would have liked to have read more information regarding the gentleman introduced at the tail end of the novel, perhaps even a concurrent historical story running parallel to the actual action tale. Perhaps then, I would have felt that the ending had some meaning in terms of this gentleman's characterization and overall fit into the overall scheme of things. The focus should have been on him and not the Pound/Dulles affair showcased by the author. As with the "John Case" selections, Hougan again seems to fall into the trap of simply using his book to over-instruct his readers on trivia that while fun has little to do with the overall outcome of the story. Providing a reading guide at the back of the book would definitely be a plus for those readers who want more information and do wish to read further.

Nevertheless Hougan presents a great page-turner for at least 7/8's of the book's journey and I will recommend it with some reluctance to anyone who likes a quick read with some fun historical mysteries thrown in.