A veteran of the Gulf war finds himself increasingly disturbed by nightmares that would seem to contradict events in the field that he was convinced took place - in particular the heroic actions of his sergeant, who is now in the running as a potential American vice-president. The deeper our hero delves into his own suspicions, the more outlandish but likely they become, but does he have any chance of uncovering a conspiracy that reaches the highest echelons of American politics? And what indeed are his own chances of survival? The Manchurian Candidate is an updating of the classic conspiracy chiller starring Frank Sinatra, and while the word ‘why?' rears its inevitable head, if you haven't seen the original then this is a slick and enjoyable if ultimately inconclusive thriller.