|
|
Amazon.com's Price: $7.99 Prices subject to change.Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
This item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping.
Binding: Mass Market PaperbackDewey Decimal Number: 813.54 EAN: 9780345404794 ISBN: 0345404793 Label: Ballantine Books Manufacturer: Ballantine Books Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 608 Publication Date: October 30, 2001 Publisher: Ballantine Books Studio: Ballantine Books Editorial Review: Amazon.com Review: Richard North Patterson, whose legal thrillers have won him legions of devoted mystery fans, shows off his superb pacing and narrative gifts as well as his ability to create vividly realized characters in this compelling novel of late-term abortion, parental consent, and the battle over a nominee for chief justice of the Supreme Court. Unlike Patterson's typical courtroom dramas, the name of this game isn't murder; it's the body politic that's bleeding. When newly elected Democratic president Kerry Kilcannon nominates appeals court judge Caroline Masters to the top spot on the court, he knows he'll have a fight on his hands. Leading the opposition is his political rival, MacDonald Gage, the GOP majority leader who owes his soul and career to the Christian right wing. They're suspicious of Masters even before a politically charged case involving a teenager whose parents refuse to allow her to terminate a disastrous pregnancy ends up in her court. More principled than Gage, but equally adamant, is Republican senator Chad Palmer, who, like Masters, harbors his own potentially career-destroying secret. Masters is an intriguing character, a woman whose judicial integrity, personal privacy, and political ambitions collide when she casts a tie-breaking vote on the constitutionality of the recently enacted Protection of Life bill. Not only young Mary Anne Tierney's future is at stake: so are the reproductive rights of all women, the resilience of the judicial system, and the personal lives of innocent bystanders who will be sacrificed on the altar of the First Amendment--the public's right to know, and the media's right to tell. Moving swiftly between the courts of public opinion and the federal judiciary, from San Francisco to the nation's capital, Patterson tells a mesmerizing story that's been praised by political and legal luminaries such as Mario Cuomo, Barbara Boxer, and Alan Dershowitz. But don't let that stop you. This up-to-date version of Advise and Consent is a provocative read that will resonate with political junkies as well as those who've made bestsellers out of Patterson's more typical genre thrillers. --Jane Adams Product Description: On a cold day in January President Kerry Kilcannon takes the oath of office-- and within days makes his first, most important move: appointing a new Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Kilcannon's choice is a female judge with a brilliant record. And a secret. While the Senate spars over Caroline Masters' nomination, an inflammatory abortion rights case is making its way toward the judge--and will explode into the headlines. Suddenly, the most divisive issue in America turns the President's nomination into all-out war. And from Judge Masters to a conservative, war-hero senator facing a crisis of conscience and a fifteen-year-old girl battling for her future, no one will be safe. Protect and Defend takes us on a riveting journey between what is legal, what is right . . . and the price of finally knowing the difference. Average Rating:
 Rating:  - Absolutely riveting legal / political thrillerA charismatic new president draws a line in the sand by nominating the first woman for Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, knowing that her secrets may be his undoing. The domestic hot-button issue of late-term abortion drives this novel, bringing scrutiny to not only her understandable and carefully hidden secret, but those of several other key players. The ugliness of ambition, the comprimises of principle easily made, the barely concealed disgust for necessary alliances, all color the Senate as ... Read More Rating: - Politics, human interest and moralityI'm not a polital book reader overall but some do strike my interest. This one has many positive aspects going for it. Politics and the background that lies behind the votes in the Senate. Law and what goes on in the courts. What a struggle it can be for someone with virtue that just wants to do the right thing but may have made choices others don't agree with. Also that not all issues, like abortion, are cut and dry. This is not a quick read but it is an enjoyable read. I highly ... Read More Rating:  - If You Like "The West Wing" . . .This book has two halves. The first is an abortion debate presented through the vehicle of a sometimes realistic/sometimes not courtroom drama. This half is full of gory detail and emotional manipulation. Not my cup of tea, and I almost stopped. The second half of the book is a Supreme Court confirmation fight in the style of a West Wing television show --- fun and clever, though the characters are charicatured good guys and bad guys (with the Democratic president head "good guy"). Patterson's ... Read More Rating: - One of RNP's Best...and one of the best , thought provoking books on the subject. Too bad Carolyn Masters isn't available to make a run at the '08 Presidency. Rating:  - Couldn't finish it...This is the third RNP that I've started. I couldn't continue past page 29. This book is headed to the Salvation Army. No more RNP for me. |
