CINCINNATUS, The Secret Plot to Save America
As reviewed by John K. Darling

When I attended a PGA Merchandise Show in Las Vegas in 2009, Rusty McClure was there and introduced his book Cincinnatus. The book is coauthored with David Stern, who is famous for the Blair Witch Project, A Dossier, and together he and Stern published Crosley: Two Brothers and a Business Empire that Transformed The Nation.

This book is one of those page-turners. I seldom read a book quickly, as I am distracted by other projects including this web page and writing books and speeches. This one got me. I could hardly wait to get back to it and completed the 500 pages in a week.

What's it all about? Fixing golf tournaments, murder, suspense and attempts to control our country if not the world. The fascinating thing about the book to me was that you could get comfortable with a character and then, "bang," they are dead. You wonder how the rest of the book is going to go without this or that character.

Since I have spent time in Florida and in the Keys, the settings are familiar to a degree and that always stimulates the imagination. I have spent several winter vacations on Long Key, not too far south of where the novel begins.

The book starts with a historical account of Edward Leedskalnin single handedly building the Coral Castle in Homestead, Florida near one of the entrances to the Everglades National Park. I can't wait to actually see the place. It is allegedly an engineering miracle. This 5'5" man moved stones weighing tons around to build this monument to his beloved who left him at the alter.

Where did the name of the book come from? It relates to a society of the wealthiest industrialists and politicians of our country back at the beginning of America. You'll have to read the book to find out how it ends.

Cincinnatis was published in November 2009 and is available on-line and is published by Clerisy Press, Columbus, OH 43229.