Capitol Punishment: A Novel [Hardcover]

Ryne Douglas Pearson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1995

Tracking down a white supremacist who holds in his arsenal a deadly nerve gas capable of killing anyone it contacts, Special Agents ""Frankie"" Aguirre and Art Jefferson follow a trail from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C. 10,000 first printing.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Pearson's latest thriller seems chillingly prescient in light of the Oklahoma City bombing and the sarin attack on the Tokyo subway. White supremacist John Barrish and his two sons obtain a deadly nerve agent known as VZ and decide to attack both an L.A.-area office tower and the Capitol building in Washington, D.C., during the State of the Union address. But Barrish needs help, so he contacts a black nationalist group, the New African Liberation Front (NALF), and, without revealing his racist past, convinces them to do his dirty work. Besides establishing a frightening criminal conspiracy, Pearson effectively juggles a cast of FBI agents, politicians and civilians, focusing on FBI partners Art Jefferson, an African American, and Frankie Aguirre, a Latina, both last seen in October's Ghost. As four NALF members release the deadly VZ into the L.A. building's ventilation system and then begin a murderous cross-country dash to D.C., Jefferson and Aguirre try to link Barrish to the crimes. Pearson sends a none-too-subtle anti-racism message as the minority-hating Barrish family and the white-hating NALF members, working in tandem, close in on the center of the federal government and on the novel's climax, which features down-to-the-wire suspense. Some elements here are given short shrift (for instance, the L.A. office-building disaster, which kills thousands, would, we now know, affect the country more than Pearson allows), but the story makes up for such shortcomings with intensity and a troubling verisimilitude.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

The writing is clean, with natural-sounding dialogue and a plot that is all too believable. And the message is distressing. --New York Times

Product Details

• Hardcover: 412 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow & Co; 1st edition (July 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688129838
• ISBN-13: 978-0688129835
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,723,775 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Nail-Biting Thriller, May 23, 2011

By 

Sidney Williams "Sidney Williams" (Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Capitol Punishment (Paperback)

Ryne Douglas Pearson creates a realistic and chilling band of domestic terrorists in this outing for his FBI agent hero Art Jefferson. He also gives them a plausible plan to wreak serious havoc on the U.S. government. Expect fast page turning and nail-biting suspense when you pick up, or download, this title. Jefferson's in a race against time to stop a plot that's almost impossible to detect. To say more would spoil the twists and surprises. If you enjoy action thrillers, you won't be disappointed here.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Capitol Punishment, September 25, 2011

By 

North (Canada) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Capitol Punishment (An Art Jefferson Thriller) (Kindle Edition)

A study on hate and homegrown terrorism : white supremacists and African Liberation Front's are two sides of the same coin and are the protagonists of this thriller.

The plot starts by a 911 call and the quick death of the first responders, followed by the discovery of the bodies of the chemist and his buyer of a nerve agent. Soon, FBI agents Art Jefferson and Frankie Aguirre realize that two more canisters of the gas were made and are somewhere in the hands of terrorists.

The story follows the steps of the bad guys and the FBI agents who try to stop them. It is well done but not a really intricate plot. I found most of the characters unidimensional and the motives for their actions either not well explained or too simplistic.

Still it is a very enjoyable book, a nice read, with an all too believable plot.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Couln't Put It Down, August 19, 2007

By 

M. Jackson (Tx, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Capitol Punishment (Paperback)

I thought this book was amazingly good. Pearson puts together a great story full of very strong characters in this book. It features Art Jefferson, a character whom Pearson reprises in the following Simple Simon (check it out, it too is a good read). This story kind of hits home with the theme of terrorism and scenarios of attacks on American soil. Very realistic story. I give it five stars.