FICTION

CLOSED CIRCLE by Robert Goddard (Simon & Schuster/Poseidon: $22; 331 pp.) . One of the most tried and true plots for a thriller is, “Loner cop running from demons in his past grows obsessed with a murder case.” Robert Goddard’s “Closed Circle,” uses another slightly less popular, but still enjoyable formula--”Ordinary person ends up doing battle with a secret, extremely powerful international conspiracy.” These are our stories, our dreams, and when well executed they satisfy some kind of archetypal longing. However, when not well executed, a paint-by-numbers thriller is like watching a low-budget horror movie where you can see the fishing line used to move the monster’s limbs.

Guy and Max, two con-men, are trying to manipulate Diana Charnwood, the daughter of an extremely wealthy entrepreneur, into wanting to marry Max. The hope is that Mr. Charnwood, her father, will buy Max off. No one expects Max to really fall for Diana who’s completely gorgeous, or at least that’s what we’re told since the only description of Diana is her outfits. When Mr. Charnwood gets murdered and Max is blamed, the book definitely picks up steam. But even at its best moments you can still sense a lot of fishing line that keeps the evil conspiracy and mysterious beautiful woman of “Closed Circle” doing their jobs.