Hard Line [Hardcover]

Richard Perle (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 16, 1993

From the Reagan administration's most celebrated hard-liner, a riveting novel that shows how perilously close the U.S. came to losing its struggle with the Soviet Union. Marked by the boldness, verve, and imagination that have characterized Perle's career, Hard Line is wonderful entertainment that is certain to stir up controversy.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In bristling, economical prose Perle, right-wing assistant secretary of Defense in the Reagan administration, throws a spotlight on behind-the-scenes maneuvering at the highest political levels. His engrossing first novel skewers the paper jousting and sound-bite scrambling common among White House advisers anxious to keep policy on track. It's 1998 when Harvard professor Michael Waterman looks back on events surrounding a 1987 summit meeting requested by the Soviets to discuss limits on nuclear missile deployment in Europe. The Defense department wants to remove all but short-range nuclear missiles from Europe and will give no ground on full deployment of SDI. Waterman, then assistant secretary of Defense, fights to keep this position in favor with the president. His counterpart and nemesis at the State department, Daniel Bennet, opposes this hard-line stance, feeling it will get in the way of an agreement-- any agreement--at the summit. A battle of press leaks, secret memos and influence-peddling ensues as State and Defense jockey for the role of chief policymaker as summit fireworks wane. Waterman's and Bennet's bosses aid their assistants but retain primary loyalty to the president when ambition derails one of their proteges. Perle breathes vibrant, if partisan, life into characters who are caught up in the internecine scrambling for authority that precedes any major White House action.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

In his first novel, a Reagan-era assistant secretary of defense (ASD) pits Michael Waterman, an ASD suspiciously like his creator, against duplicitous Russians and naive State Department functionaries. Perle dissects policy battles between State and Defense with wit and venom but stupefying detail, explaining how the president almost, but not quite, gave away the Cold War at a summit suspiciously like Reykjavik. Essentially a platform for voicing the author's belief that the tough policies he advocates caused the collapse of the Soviet empire, the novel features excellent prose, tiny plot, and minimal characterization. For Washington insiders and the largest public libraries.
- Edwin B. Burgess, U.S. Army TRALINET Ctr., Fort Monroe, Va.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Random House Value Publishing (June 16, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 051710590X
• ISBN-13: 978-0517105900
• Average Customer Review: 1.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,889,141 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Quality Takes A Fall, April 11, 2002

By 

John G. Hilliard (Toronto Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hard Line (Hardcover)

I must have missed something, considering the amount of praise heaped on the author on the dust jacket, I thought I was about to read War and Peace. There was nothing new here, and the story line moved around like a heart monitor display - no consistent track - grabs something here, something there. This really is a very disappointing book.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Like a B movie, December 26, 2002

By 

I am "DAVE" (Oakland CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hard Line (Hardcover)

For all the hype, this is a really boring read. The writing is wooden and the story is tired. Nothing new at all, save your money

2.0 out of 5 stars Aln interesting book, June 11, 2010

By 

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

This review is from: Hard Line (Hardcover)

This book had an interesting story, but not captivating. I would have to think a bit before reading another book by this author if it was of the samw genre. There is a lot of information contained within but again, the story was not captivating for me.

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