IMPROBABLE
By Adam Fawer

Winston-Salem Journal:

In case you are a person who reads only the first paragraph of a review, I want to get this out before you turn the page: Improbable is sophisticated fiction at its best. With absolutely no reservations, I assert that this is the most entertaining book I've read in the past five years. And believe me when I tell you - I read a lot of books. I'll even go as far as to say that the entertainment value of Improbable equals the combined value of half the books I've read in that time. Now, about the story:

David Caine is a betting man with an uncanny ability to mentally calculate probabilities associated with games of chance. He uses his talent to support himself in the backroom gambling houses of New York City. But he has a problem; he has begun having seizures that do not respond to conventional treatments. A seizure that rattles him during a high-stakes poker game leaves him hopelessly in debt to the Russian mob - who will break his bones, then kill him, if he doesn't produce the money fast.

Nava Vaner is a rogue CIA agent whose specialties are kidnapping, interrogation and murder. Her secret past as a Russian spy makes her twice as dangerous - she owes no allegiance to any nation. Vaner has no qualms about selling classified information to the highest bidder. But when a deal with the North Koreans goes bad, she is left with no alternative but to steal an item of equal or greater value in order to placate them. When doctors discover that the experimental seizure drug they are testing on Caine has given him the ability to predict the probable outcome of almost any state of affairs with near perfect precision, he becomes that item. What ensues is a most improbable series of events that will have you turning pages as fast as your eyes can read.

Using the limited third-person point of view, Adam Fawer leads us through the story piecemeal as our viewpoint characters shift from scene to scene. This method allows us to experience and re-experience scenes from different angles, all the while gaining insights into the thoughts and perceptions of the assorted characters. We share their frustrations, victories and defeats; we see their delusions, and we're privy to their deepest fears, wishes and motivations. Sometimes we're cognizant of their misunderstandings at the moment, and sometimes we realize these misunderstandings only later - once we've gained a better understanding ourselves. This is no simple piece of linear-time fiction. Besides experiencing this story through the perceptions of 19 humans and a pigeon, we are whisked through the timeline with side trips into flashbacks, flashforwards, excursions into alternate realities and a state of time/space referred to as Everywhen.

This novel is first and foremost a thriller. But, along with the more conventional mainstream format, Fawer has masterfully incorporated elements of science fiction with enlightening snippets about history, statistics and philosophy. And he has done it in such a way as to make it understandable and enjoyable for readers who may have no background in any of these disciplines and who don't normally consider themselves fans of science fiction.

The plot is a tangle of relationships, red herrings and conspiracies. The concepts put forth will have you questioning the nature of reality, the line between genius and insanity, and the choices you've made in life - all while you accompany Caine and Vaner in their struggle against those who would destroy them. Once you've started, if you think you will be able to put this book down, I have one word for you. Improbable.

Clive Cussler:

IMPROBABLE is not the word. "Spellbinding" is more like it. Adam Fawer has crafted a creative masterpiece of intrigue and adventure.

People:

In Fawer's thrill-inducing debut, gambling addict David Caine tries to raise cash by signing on to take an experimental pill that might control his epileptic seizures. The drug has a side effect: Caine starts seeing the future. The government, a crazy scientist and North Korean spies will do anything to control his power so it's up to an unlikely trio to keep Caine alive: his schizophrenic twin brother; a deadly rogue CIA agent; and Doc, Caine's old college adviser. By the tale's end, you'll be pondering the true causes of schizophrenia and marveling at how much a single action can change a life. IMPROBABLE is a thriller can bet the house on.

Caleb Carr, author of the The Alienist:

Adam Fawer's IMPROBABLE is a remarkable novel that combines a gritty, expert plot with serious ideas and speculations. A skillful, fascinating debut.

Richmond Times-Dispatch:

One of the most complex, fresh, and enjoyable novels of its type to come along in a while.

Ben Mezrich, author of Bringing Down the House:

I was hooked from the first sentence...IMPROBABLE is an ingenious melding of thought-provoking mathematical theories and thriller mayhem, reminiscent of Michael Crichton and Robert Ludlum. A truly great read.