Review of The Rostrum

[Vivian Writes]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Rostrum" by W. T. Sanders.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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Developed based on real-life events that involved President McKinley's assassination in 1901 by an anarchist, The Rostrum by W. T. Sanders is a high-stakes story that highlights the painstaking effort our patriotic security forces put into ensuring our safety in the face of numerous terrorist threats.

Most of the story is set in modern times. Special Agent Stanley Thompson, a highly driven FBI agent, is central to this thriller. He hopes to make his mark on the anti-terrorism task force but does not have the trust of his superior. It's the presidential election season, and an opportunity to prove his worth presents itself when his confidential informant informs him of gang activity relating to the initials KGC. Thompson soon realizes that this case is bigger than he could have imagined when he discovers the relationship between this gang and the pro-slavery activities of the Knights of the Golden Circle (KGC) in the 19th century. Shortly after, a notorious criminal, Kenneth Günter Collins, is broken out of custody in a brutal encounter that leaves no security survivors.

The story includes well-balanced main characters that all have their motives and are easy to understand, which adds depth and complexity to the narrative. For example, Agent Thompson hopes to prove himself after several rejected applications to join the task force, and at the same time, Agent Matthew Foster hopes to fix his family's reputation after his great-great-grandfather's role in President McKinley's death. This pressure leads him to find himself on the wrong side of the story when he is deceived into helping the KGC further their ambitions.

The story starts with a slow pace, as it takes the author some time to put key pieces of the story together. I struggled a bit with these parts of the book, but I understood that it was necessary for great world-building, as the tension was built incrementally.

Another aspect of the book I enjoyed was how well the author built anticipation for the events by divulging enough information at the right time to keep me interested in the mystery and investigation. The author's detailed narration of every facet of the investigation and action scenes highlighted his experience in this field. My major issue with the book was that it could have been edited better since I found errors in the text.

All things considered, I rate the book four out of five. I would have awarded the maximum rating if not for the main issue I highlighted. The book was a thrilling read, and it kept me on the edge of my seat for the most part. There is also the potential for a sequel based on the book's ending, and I look forward to it. I would recommend this book to fans of thrillers and historical fiction novels.

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The Rostrum
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[NetMassimo]

My knowledge of American history is not particularly good, so I hope this novel has enough information to enable non-Americans to understand the historical bits. Thank you for your great review!