My good friend Dean put this on a list of "10 books that influenced" him. What I found here was a history lesson wrapped in a thriller and decorated with cautionary notes. The antagonist was strong; the protagonist was weak but in the end made powerful connections. I found the history lesson solid and the thriller compelling - I finished the book in two days. Written in the 70s when the crime rate was higher than today, an updated version would probably fight terrorism... Patriot Act, anyone? Overall a very good read.