Double Star
by Robert A. Heinlein

What do you do if the leader of your interplanetary political party is kidnapped just before a meeting with Martians that simply cannot be missed or it will have interplanetary ramifications? You get an actor, of course, to impersonate him. But not just any actor; you get the best. In this case, it is Lorenzo Smythe.

Thus begins one of Heinlein's more impressive stories. It is dated (there are no Martians to meet, for example) but if you overlook such details, you will find a rich story full of believeable details on how to act and impresonate a political leader of a party and get away with it.

When Smythe gets picked for the role of a lifetime, he finds himself getting into more than he bargained for. Initially, his job is to meet the Martians and to be inducted into their 'family clan' (failing to do so would be an insult to the Martians) while others go to recover the kidnapped politician. But events delay the return of the politician, forcing Smythe to continue the role and to take on more and more of the politician's job until...well, you will have to read the story to find out.

Heinlein's strength as a writer is his ability to give quite convincing explanations and a relaxed, writing style that does not seemed forced. Here the job of an actor impersonating another person is explained in impressive detail. This allows the reader to be immersed into the character in the book and to see the world through his eyes. The astronomical, social and political details of the world are somewhat 'old-fashioned' but this is to be expected in a book that is a few decades old.

Putting that aside, Double Star is still a fascinating book to read. After a while, you may find yourself forgetting such details and be immmersed into the role of an actor impersonating a well-known politician and trying to fool many people who may know him intimately.

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Double Star by Robert A. Heinlein

Double Star
by Robert A. Heinlein