IQ: Independence Hall by Roland Smith

For my second book of this quarter, I read IQ: Independence Hall by Roland Smith. The book is a modern day thriller/mystery involving current events. It mixes recent, yet historical events, like 9/11, and fictional characters. I liked how the author integrated the made-up characters into the real-life world and made it believable. Basically, the story is about what happens behind the scenes of the war on terrorism. Lots of different agents, who work for competing agencies, are constantly trying to take down the terrorists that plague the world. With so many agents, it is hard to keep track of who is on who's side. They could be just posing as a terrorist to get inside information. Or, they might actually be a terrorist. Nobody knows. I really liked this suspenseful aspect of the story. However, I think it got confusing when everybody's identity/loyalties were revealed. For some characters, it was not clear what side they were actually on when the author attempted to explain. My favorite thing about the book was how the author made no one invincible. Every character had their personal fault. Whether it was overconfidence or fear, each character made a mistake somewhere in the story. This made the characters much more realistic. Overall, I liked the book because it kept me on the edge of my seat for the whole story.

How do characters change or evolve throughout the course of the story? What events trigger such changes?

Two of the main characters, Q and Angela, make dynamic changes throughout the story. Q has been an only child for his whole life. His mom is the only family he knows. Then, his mom gets remarried to Angela's dad. Now that he has a stepsister, his independence turns into working as a team with his new sibling. It takes him a while to adjust to collaborate with someone besides himself. There are even some clashes on decisions between the two siblings. However, Q and Angela finally learn how to work together, using teamwork to outsmart even professional secret agents. Angela also evolves personally throughout the story. She begins the book as very emotional about her mom's alleged death. She just cannot to get over it. As the story goes on, Angela begins to gain strength by putting her past behind her and doing what is necessary in the present.


What was unique about the setting of the book and how did it enhance or take away from the story?

The setting of the book is in the modern day world with the war on terrorism still going on. It takes place in a number of locations including San Francisco and Philadelphia. These big city settings provide a good area for the "cat-and-mouse" game that plays out in the story. Hiding in buildings and dodging your pursuers is not really possible in a country setting. The suspense was put up a notch just because of the city setting. Seeing the enemy without them seeing you and vice versa added great suspense to the story.

Word Count: 470