Jericho's Fall    by Stephen L. Carter Order:  USA  Can Knopf, 2009 (2009) Hardcover, e-Book Read an Excerpt      Reviewed by Barbara Lingens In his past novels Stephen Carter has written knowledgeably and beautifully about the black upper class, in my opinion a very underserved subject area. For his latest work, he has chosen to write a thriller, and it is gripping. Jericho Ainsley is in the throes of dying, and his one-time lover, Beck, has come for a visit. Little does she know what is in store for her because Ainsley, though long removed as head of the Central Intelligence Agency, still has secrets that many will kill for, either to keep them that way or to unravel them. So Beck has to make her way through family, friends, colleagues and acquaintances to sort out who and what she can trust. And author Carter makes it clear that really the only person she can trust is herself. But because her daughter has been threatened, Beck may not be as clear-headed as she needs to be. This is a tightly plotted story and beautifully written. Carter keeps us in suspense as he weaves all the layers together. Each time we think we know what is going to happen, there is a surprise. Although everything does get wrapped up in the end, this is a story that you think about for a while afterwards. I can hardly wait to find out where Carter's writing will lead us next. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Mystery books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews