A review by eflind
Seven Down by David Whitton

An interesting, mostly effective, puzzle of a story, Seven Down tells the story of a failed plot carried out by various sleeper agents, all employees of the same hotel and all unaware of each other’s affiliation with The Company. The book is arranged as a series of transcripts of recording with the agents after the plot, some a few years after the day, some merely a few hours. I loved getting bits and pieces of how everyone’s various stories connect in small and major ways, slowly putting together what when wrong and why. Much of the hows and whys are opaque, which adds to the intrigue. I was actually disappointed at the end, when the exactly goal of the plot is laid out plainly. It’s all a bit rote and cliched and really undercuts the rest of the book. I’d have been happier not knowing what it was that they were trying to accomplish and why.