Crichton's last book as John Lange and I'm surprised he didn't publish under his own name because this is an excellent thriller, with lots of his trademark pace and research.
Crichton isn't famous for his characters but he has a memorable villain here - a rich nutter who wants to unleash nerve gas at the 1972 Republican convention in San Diego. The Sherlock Holmes style lead is a state department figure who is competitive and super smart - the gimmick of the sotr play is that the villain anticipated the hero would be sent after him and has anticipated his moves.
The villain dies two third of the way through - a shock (Crichton is great at action, exposition and suspense but big moments like death he doesn't milk for some reason)... but he keeps the clock ticking over by having the hero try to figure out. He also brings in a scientist to bounce off the hero - they have good by-play.
The research about gas and computers and stuff all felt authentic. It's fast paced (there's literally a ticking clock) and a lot of fun and you can see the movie reading it.
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