Review – Double Vision

Dillon Richards is one of CyberQuanta’s most talented computer programmers, but he isn’t like other people; he’s not a “Normal” like everyone else. Afflicted with “Asperger’s Syndrome” his entire life, he’s always seen life from a different perspective; through a different set of rules and regulations. To Dillon, order is the cure to chaos; logic is the bedrock of existence, and rationality the key to a better life. He believes in science and God, and though both “faiths” have seemingly unsolvable contradictions, his belief in them remains unshakable. However, though he understands quantum string theory and the “multi-verse”, he finds women and love to be inherently chaotic and impossible to understand – why would anyone allow themselves to fall in love in the first place?

Keryn Wills, part-time mystery author and financial accountant for CyberQuanta is just the type of woman Dillon finds interesting and fascinating. A committed Christian who loves books, talking about alternate universes and Shakespeare, Keryn seems to be the right fit for the order-conscious Dillon – until the vivacious, risky, and outlandish Rachel Meyers storms onto the scene. Not only is Rachel bold and beautiful, she’s dreadfully smart, almost as skilled as Dillon himself, and not afraid to flaunt “what God gave her”. Suddenly, Keryn is faced with daunting competition for Dillon’s affections?but is there really any competition? Despite her infectious zest and zeal, Rachael is horribly conflicted about her views of God and all things religious, and it’s very possible that in his strictly ordered, nonsensical and logical world, Dillon finds the idea of relationships and love beneath him in the first place. What’s a romantic mystery novelist to do?

Of course, throw in a revolutionary quantum computer that will change the way the world thinks about encryption, personal security and privacy; federal conspiracies and a flight from powers wanting the quantum computer for their own nefarious reasons, and these three individuals are thrown into a pressure cooker that will not only test their limits and entangle them in a web of deception, misdirection, and lies, but also force them to consider their relationship with each other and their relationship with the divine power behind all design and purpose – God himself.

Double Vision is a quirky tale full of suspense, humor, and intrigue that brings a fresh flavor to Christian fiction. Randall Ingermanson writes about romance with as much authority as he does about all things scientific, and a carefully structured narrative results in a solid story leaving no stone unturned, no loose ends, and painstakingly concealed plot twists at the tale’s conclusion. His depiction of Dillon as an adult afflicted with Asperger’s Syndrome is authentic, and his character development – juggling three main characters – is rich and full of depth.

Though Double Vision is billed as a “A Novel of Intrigue and Suspense”, the real focus is the developing relationships between Dillon, Rachel, and Keryn. Most of the suspense serves to put all three characters into situations in which stress brings them closer together and challenges their preconceptions of each other and the world around them, but this doesn’t detract from the story in any way, just makes it much more of a character-driven story, rather than a plot-driven one.