Code Word: Paternity
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;Author's Summary
In a twenty-first century Pearl Harbor, nuclear terrorism takes its first city--Las Vegas--and stalks Baltimore. The terrorists have no return address--but the nuke they used does. A scientific trail scented by an ultra-secret U.S. program hidden for years behind the code word "Paternity" points toward the nation that made the bomb.
But there's no smoking gun. Struggling to lead a divided, panicked America, wring support from uncertain allies, and blunt the opportunism of rivals, the president faces an ethical dilemma threatening his marriage, his presidency, and his very soul. As commander-in-chief, controlling nearly unfathomable power to retaliate, he can put the Armageddon genie back in the bottle--but at what cost and to whom? Ambition, conscience, and duty collide as heads of state, politicians, diplomats, and generals maneuver with the lives of millions at stake.
MWSA Review
Since the end of the Cold War the novels dealing with nuclear holocaust in dealing with international politics has almost disappeared. Since 9/11 most novels have dealt with international terrorism and how it can be dealt with by the target countries.
“Code Word: Paternity” deals with an actual nuclear attack on the United States and the resultant actions of an American President Rick Martin and his advisors on how our country reacts and deals with such a severe blow. It should be noted that this nuclear attack is indeed a result of terrorist acts which utilizes a third world country that has nuclear capabilities. The initial chapters of the book deal with the author explaining how President Martin and his charges determined who did this disastrous deed and once determined what to do about it.
Doug Norton weaves a web of intrigue and suspense in which President Martin must unravel and choose the right course to protect the USA and also to keep peace with the Asian countries of China, South Korea and Japan along with Russia. Political considerations must be taken into consideration along with the moral consequences of retaliation using nuclear weapons.
The action is fast and furious with no time for long reflection, only quick decisions are needed. Norton uses historical Presidential facts to support some of the action he creates in this piece of fiction. It is not historical fiction but rather the use of past actual Presidential history which is interweaved into his story.
Reviewed by: Dick Geschke (2013)