Checkmate [Paperback]

Karna Small Bodman (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Tom Doherty Associates; 1st Edition/1st Printing edition (2007)
• ASIN: B000O8B34U
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,582,129 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Karna was on the air for 15 years as a TV news reporter and anchor in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington, DC and did political commentary in New York. She also served in the Reagan White House, first as Deputy Press Secretary and later asd Senior Director and Spokesman for the National Security Council. Now she is writing "political thrillers" where she weaves in many of her White House experiences and impressions -- stories of political intrigue, international plots, bureaucratic infighting and, oh yes, romantic entanglements.

Her second novel, GAMBIT, was featured on The Today Show where they said that since these books all focus on current events and very real "national security threats" to our country, instead of calling them "fiction," perhaps we should call them "faction."

Her newest novel, FINAL FINESSE, was the subject of a lengthy interview on the Rush Limbaugh show. Check out Karna's website: www.karnabodman.com -- and you'll see the link -- among other things.

Brand new -- check out her short story (a romantic thriller) "The Agent" - available for download to a Kindle for only 99 cents.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars interesting but, January 18, 2007

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Checkmate (Hardcover)

At Bandaq Technologies, Cameron "Cammy" Talbot leads a team of brilliant technocrats in developing the ultimate missile defense program. She and her crew ignore the Star Wars initiative of shooting the projectile out of the sky. Instead they concentrate on a program that takes control of an incoming missile's guidance system in order to reverse it; hitting the initiator. Due to unsavory lobbying her program is in jeopardy as Congress considers moving funding to a rival firm supporting the Star Wars initiative.

Still as Cammy and cohorts make major progress, Muslims steal three Pakistani cruise missiles, firing one at India. This terrorist group intends to take over Kashmir as they expect India to reciprocate leading to an all out war with nukes between India and Pakistan.

Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Hunt Daniels meets Cammy when someone tries to kill her. They each feel a strong attraction to one another while someone wants her new technology stopped before completion with her dead before it can be used to prevent a deadly nuclear war.

The premise of this tale is superb, but Karna Small Bodman is unable to decide between a romantic suspense and a nuclear countdown thriller; the reader gets some of both, but the sum of the parts does not quite make a cohesive whole. Still the story line is fun to follow as Cammy races against time to prove her concept works even as she ponders whether Hunt is the hunk who makes her feel complete. Congress seems realistic as money speaks in spite of the cost to the world. Overall this is a fine novel that will please fans of final countdowns to pending disaster with a romantic subplot weaved into the last digits.

Harriet Klausner

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fast paced government thriller (with romance), February 10, 2007

By 

Grace Camille Lyons "GCL" (Champaign, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Checkmate (Hardcover)

If you enjoy fast paced books with intrigue and government inside angles...this is a great read. Fasten your seat belts and have fun!
I normally do not read this type of literature, but enjoyed this romp. If you are a fan of The Last Templar, etc., you will want to read this book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good read, March 31, 2010

By 

J. Robert Ewbank (Mobile, Alabama) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Checkmate (Hardcover)

This book by Bodman was one that I had a little trouble reading. I finished it and enjoyed it but the plot and storyline got a little sidetracked for me by the government speak and military speak. I know, I know it was a story which involved the government and military,but sometimes for me anyway, they seemed to get in the way of the plot.

Good characters, good plot, the good wins over evil in the end.

A good read.

J. Robert Ewbank author "John Wesley, Natural Man, and the 'Isms'"