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The assassination attempt on President Lee has left the country shaken, particularly as the plot has been connected with an Iranian-backed terror group. Lee is wounded but unbowed as he addresses a joint session of Congress, where political rival and potential successor Congressman John Black gauges his adversary. Black is an aspiring presidential candidate with wealth and influence undergirding his run, yet there is a shadowy group that wants to ensure his run for the top spot goes unimpeded. Black's father, Lord Black, is connected with a cabal that will utilize blackmail and murder to achieve their ambitions. The election is getting closer, and the plotting is only escalating, but there are those who refuse to be intimidated by the subtle and not-so-subtle manipulations of those backing John Black's campaign, and they pose the greatest threat to their power grab.
Conspiracy thrillers are more entertaining when they are both dark yet also conceivable, and the plot to put a malleable despot in the Oval Office in this novel is both terrifying and riveting. A narrative heavy with intrigue and mystery, the story pits the benevolent president and various intelligence agents against the many interlocking arms of an octopus-like entity. In addition to the various colluders, the story features excellent characters such as CIA agent Adam Zuggerweldt, a weary veteran who is both frustrated by the surveillance of Lord Black and the life of lies he's forced to feed his loved ones to maintain his cover. Congressman John Black is a Machiavellian figure whose charisma hides his duplicitous nature, a man who'll smile right as he digs the knife into an opponent. He is a well-written villain worth reading more about. This is both a thought-provoking and satisfying read.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review