Review by JACK+_+ -- The Margin of Error by Beverly Grasley

[JACK+_+]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Margin of Error" by Beverly Grasley.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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The Margin of Error by Beverly Grasley starts with an introduction to Kathleen Harrington who served in the U.S. Army for 30 years and now was retired with the rank of Brigadier General. Contented in leaving the Army behind for good, Kathleen is surprised when she is summoned by President Andrew Brisbane and is asked to take over the post of Secretary of Defense. After intense deliberations with herself, she finally takes up on the job offer only to learn that President Brisbane is very keen on releasing nuclear weapons upon North Korea over trivial matters using codes that are stored in ‘the football.’ Kathleen, along with other Chief Officials of the U.S. military, tries very hard to reason with him but he just turns a blind eye to their petition. Thus begins a vigorous campaign to make President Brisbane give up his post. Will Kathleen succeed? Or will the President single-handedly disrupt the world’s equilibrium? The Margin of Error tells of this battle between the man with the highest authority in the US and a woman who just wants her countrymen to be at peace.

The most satisfactory part of the book is the build-up of the storyline. At first, it goes at a relaxed pace but eventually starts picking up gears; the tension-building ability of the author remains my favorite. Her description of each character is extremely helpful in producing an apt image in the reader's mind.

The thing I disliked the most here is the presence of frequent and similar errors which may force readers to re-read certain sentences to properly draw out their meaning. Kathleen has been repeatedly referred to using the male pronouns (his, him). There are various spelling mistakes and typos too. This book could use one more round of editing.

I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. The book could have easily gotten a 4-star rating if not for the errors mentioned earlier. I also believe the plot lacked a certain punch that one would expect from books of the C/T/M/H genre. I did not give it a 2-star rating since the book has a good storyline, is entertaining, and takes the readers on a ride with its plot twists.

The Margin of Error is a book with a strong and independent female lead. I recommend this book to readers aged 14 and above, especially to readers who are into books with patriotic themes and enjoy stories with women protagonists.

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The Margin of Error
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