Capitol Punishment
An Art Jefferson Thriller, #3
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- £3.99
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- £3.99
Publisher Description
Hate is a powerful weapon. John Barrish, a cunning white supremacist, has let his hatred simmer while in the custody of the federal government. But with his release, he's ready to unleash his fury on the institutions of the state that have targeted him. And he's secured the means to do so in the form of a Cold-War era chemical weapon so lethal that the smallest amount can cause mass death.
Unless FBI Agent Art Jefferson can get to him first. Following the man's deadly trail from Los Angeles to Washington D.C., Jefferson zeroes in on the plan Barrish has set in motion. A strike so bold that, if successful, would not only leave the nation leaderless--it could tear it apart.
Bone-chilling in its detailed accuracy, Pearson's novel of homegrown terrorism is a fast-paced, provocative thriller that shows just how deadly the mix of politics and high-tech sabotage can be. From the opening page to the culmination of events on the day of the president's State of the Union address, the action and intrigue in 'Capitol Punishment' never lets up.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This would-be techno-thriller initially appears to have the requisite action ingredients. While the Russians and Americans are at a delicate point in disarmament talks, a U.S. submarine vanishes. In Cuba, as an anti-Castro revolt nears success, Castro launches an atomic warhead hidden for 30 years. Then an FBI agent is gunned down in L.A. by Cuban hit men out to silence a defector. But almost immediately, Pearson's ( Cloudburst ) sprawling, overcrowded novel becomes mired in its own excesses. Events escalate at a barely manageable rate, as informers are chased, a boozing journalist survives one narrow escape after another, and the LA police try to solve domestic crimes with international overtones. In addition to an overwhelming number of poorly defined characters and turgid prose, the novel suffers from Pearson's incomplete mastery of present and past events as he mingles history with speculation. Some readers may also be short-circuited by all the techno-babble. Still, this partial misfire provides ample fodder for conspiracy buffs and military historians to chew on.
