As an ardent student of the fictional crime genre, I’ve come to greatly respect the writings of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Sherlock Holmes), Agatha Christie (Hercule Poirot), Rex Stout (Nero Wolfe), and even Mickey Spillane (Mike Hammer).
The way each author wove an intricate tale that kept the reader spellbound is what made their writings timeless.
All of the aforementioned writers assumed a degree of intelligence from their reading public. They made that assumption so the facts could be given, clues deftly placed, and the reasonable motive, crime, and conclusion could also be presented.
The reader is always treated with respect, and in most instances, is not asked to make absurd or outlandish guesses regarding who, what, or why.
Sometimes the authors kept us confused, occasionally they would lead us on wild goose chases and down dark alleys, and every so often it seemed the answer was not probable, but it was always possible.
Obviously, none of these abovementioned novelists has written the current melodrama that is currently being played out in Washington, DC staring General David Petraeus, or should I, as the mainstream media has done, drop the title “General,” and just say “former Head of the CIA.” Yes, the drama has all the elements of political intrigue, power, and even infidelity.
However, it falls down when it makes the mistake of assuming (which our legendary authors would have never done) that the public following this tale is basically stupid, possibly illiterate, or just simply has a short-term attention span.
We are asked to believe massive amounts of ineptness, not only by the players, the former General, Paula Broadwell, and Jill Kelley, but also by perhaps the two most significant clandestine organizations in the world, the CIA and the FBI.
Supposed emails, always the destroyer of secrecy, sent to stir the curiosity, makes for a juicy tale to divert us from what may be the real crime, Benghazi.
Just consider it another question mark in the Obama legacy.
I would feel much better and my authors would rest easier knowing that the former Army General, not the former CIA Director, had been asked to take one for the team.
That plot would not insult my intelligence, but either way this story is not about to go away anytime soon.