Although the author's books have fallen from grace, the influence of Robert Ludlum on the American thriller persists: this large, fast-moving and violent adventure has all the earmarks of Ludlum's style. Ironically, it also bears a (probably unconscious) resemblance to one of the greatest of all thriller practitioners, John Buchan. Like Richard Hannay, Garber's hero (a jet-lagged American businessman), finds himself on the run from the police (for a crime he did not commit) as well as being pursued by ruthless killers. When the businessman, Jack Taft, a vice-president of an American company, arrives in Singapore, he discovers that he is wanted by police whose orders read "shoot to kill". And when he finds that the mob has a price on his head regular--and satisfyingly kinetic--bursts of action punctuate the narrative in his quest to find out who set him up. His boss? A Singaporean gangster? Or even his own girlfriend? Don't look for literary style here--the author's use of language in In A Perfect State is designed to serve only one purpose: to keep you turning the page. And characters are given just as much development as they need--more would slow things down. We read to be gripped and there's no question that Garber is completely successful in his aim. --Barry Forshaw, Amazon.co.uk