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Book Information:
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Cover:
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Author's Summary
Blend a dollop of Enlightenment history for the lawyers and history buffs, a skosh of cool technology for the geekish, and a smidgen of business for the Wall Street crowd. Add to a boiling cauldron of passion and armed violence. Sprinkle with strong dialog and wit. Shazaam! Tomorrow’s headlines today, in Patriot and Assassin. Patriot and Assassin places the protagonist, Alejandro ‘Cooch’ Cuchulain, at the heart of a plot to release nerve gas in one of our nation’s busiest stadiums, then later into the sadistic hands of the terrorist who planned that attack. Cooch leads a Rhodes Scholar former Seal, a stunning female MacArthur winning physicist, a former USMC Master Sniper and the former director of the CIA’s special operations unit, now working in the White House. Together, they engage a large contingent of Al-Qaeda, among others, while working to improve the life of Muslims. Inspired by the evidence that Middle Eastern culture will be transformed positively when Muslims are convinced that transformation in their self-interest, Patriot and Assassin uses the proven lessons of the Enlightenment to expedite that transformation. More than simply sex and violence advance the story. Patriot and Assassin incorporates strong character development and powerful, thoughtful dialogue to drive this politico-thriller at a breakneck pace. The Enlightenment transformed the Western world in three hundred years. Cooch and company hope to transform the Muslim world in far less time, using technology, violence and lessons from the past. They neither disdain violence on this journey to improve, nor avoid using the latest technology to make both the journey and the violence easier. Action flows seamlessly from West Texas to Washington to Morocco to Yemen and back. Former CIA warrior Cuchulain is a strong male protagonist working with a dynamic female protagonist in Dr. Caitlin O’Connor. This thriller brings a fresh dynamic to the genre. Patriot and Assassin positions itself as the thriller for thoughtful readers interested in observing strong, complex characters meeting complex world-wide challenges.
MWSA Review
In the 21st century we have been confronted with all aspects of 9/11 and its consequences in terrorism and how they affect life in the United States. In the reality of current politics from 2001 till the present the United States has battled terrorism on two fronts utilizing intelligence and the military services to prevent and stop the spread of terrorism. Homeland security along with the deployment of troops overseas in Iraq and Afghanistan has been utilized at great monetary and psychological costs to prevent any further terrorism against the USA.
In Robert Cook’s second novel on the adventures of Cooch, we find an excellent thriller of political intrigue in which we as the reader have no idea of what road we are going down. The use of the military and the influences of technology along with the confluence of intelligence moves the reader to push ahead to find out what will happen. The normal political constraints seem to dissolve in front of us as we see professionals execute a well-developed plan to get the desired results.
The interactions of superiors from the President on down to the agents in the field lets us see a dedicated sole purpose of a mission that should be pursued and accomplished on the highest level of professionalism.
The level of expertise and professionalism of these agents should be admired, but in the real world I think a little more humble action would be a lot more believable.
The book was easy to read and made the reader go further to see what would happen. The conclusions are far from predictable, which in and of itself makes for a successful suspense/thriller novel. Good job!!
Reviewed by: Dick Geschke (2013)
