Nick Cook, a British defence analyst, nails all the familiar elements of the Washington-based conspiracy thriller — crisis meetings behind reinforced doors, interrogations in hastily assembled plastic tents, Swat teams and black helicopters — but The Grid turns into something much more interesting, with Cain uncovering a clandestine programme exploring human consciousness. In less assured hands this could have seemed absurd, but Cook’s crisp, hard-boiled prose makes the outlandish feel alarmingly plausible. There are a lot of acronyms and names to keep track of, but this is a highly original, electrifying read.
