Sundial takes the reader back to the early eighties and the last vestiges of the Cold War, but it begins as a romance between two uniquely gifted and specially skilled teenagers. The book begins rather slowly. The reader is given clues that something major is going to happen and that these two teenagers, Reid and Whitney, will be important players, but the story takes its time getting there. The first 187 pages are dedicated almost exclusively to the courtship between Reid and Whitney. They spend a lot of time with their friends, taking the boat out on the Potomac, and enjoying sporting events and parties. The reader really gets to know the characters during this time, but keeps waiting and wondering when the real action of the story will begin. Once the action does begin, it warms up slowly until becoming fast and furious and providing an interesting flashback into history...a history of which most teenagers of today have no real knowledge. The adventure and the danger toward the end of the book increase dramatically until it is no longer just a story about teenage romance. Then it ends on a cliffhanger meant to leave the reader highly anticipating the next book in the series. The two main characters are well-developed but also have an air of mystery about them. However, the writing is a bit uneven with too long a stretch between getting to know the characters and any real action taking place. It also doesn't flow well in many places. The transitions from one scene to another are often non-existent in such a way that the reader is suddenly somewhere else and wonders how he/she got there. Still, I liked the overall story, especially after the action heated up. The writing also seemed to flow better toward the end. Nevertheless, I'm not sure I'm hooked enough to read the sequel.