Office Romance

Disclosure, by Michael Crichton (Knopf, 400 pp., $24)

ONE REALLY has to admire the masters and mistresses of the middle-brow, those novelists who swoop down upon an issue that is capturing headlines and soundbites and make it the theme of a bestselling novel. Are they vultures or are they eagles? The answer will vary from reader to reader. But for me Michael Crichton’s wing-span, his grace in flight, and the clarity of his vision place him firmly in the eagle’s nest.