Pinocchio Syndrome [Hardcover]

David Zeman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 31, 2019

An international thriller of political intrigue, personal betrayal and cutting-edge science, The Pinocchio Syndrome marks the debut of a brilliant new talent. The cruise ship Crescent Queen is attacked and vaporized by a hydrogen bomb while sailing in the Mediterranean. Soon afterwards, a puzzling and horrific 'living death' disease begins to appear in the United States and across the globe -- it becomes known as 'the Pinocchio Syndrome' and the world lives in fear. In America, the President, already in a weakened state after the Crescent Queen, is under attack from an ultra-right-wing billionaire, Colin Goss. Goss wants to oust the President and fight terrorism aggressively. And when the well-liked Vice President contracts the Pinocchio Syndrome, the people's confidence drops to an all-time low. The saving grace could be Senator Michael Campbell, a popular and media-friendly young senator. If he is selected as the new Vice President, hope and sanity could return. Meanwhile, journalist Karen Embry is following the case of the Pinocchio Syndrome when she finds herself on the trail of something about the disease that clearly does not add up -- something that smells like a cover-up. In a heart-stopping race against time, Karen must join forces with a natural enemy -- Secret Service agent Joe Kraig -- to hunt for the stunning truth behind a conspiracy that threatens to destroy the world.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Freelance public health reporter Karen Embry stumbles onto the story of her life in this far-fetched political thriller by debut novelist Zeman. The American cruise ship Crescent Queen has been zapped by a nuclear missile in a presumed terrorist attack, and the U.S. government has yet to identify the perpetrators. Soon afterward, people around the world begin to succumb to a mysterious illness that seals them in a zombie-like coma. Doctors and scientists are baffled. Then the disease strikes the vice-president, Dan Everhard, the brains behind the current presidential administration. Without him, the unnamed president, whose popularity has already plummeted since the Crescent incident, is all the more vulnerable to the attacks of Colin Goss, an ultra-right-wing billionaire vying for the presidency. His platform consists of one plank: death to terrorists. Coming to the rescue of a floundering administration is charismatic Maryland senator Michael Campbell ("Michael had a near-perfect body for a man of his age"). Secret Service agent Joseph Kraig ("He liked to immerse himself in the longer Dostoyevski novels, and sometimes even read Shakespeare") rounds out the cast as he investigates the illness and eventually must save Campbell's kidnapped wife. Embry's story about the public health crisis becomes an investigative coup de grace revealing the evil Goss's ultimate goal: "World domination." The plot leaps from one improbable scenario to another, heedless of common sense. The characters barely achieve one dimension, the plot turns are preposterous and the sex scenes, of which there are scores, are laughable: "He would enter her gently and stroke her with himself until her sex was literally aflame." Ouch, that's got to hurt.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

This political thriller begins at sea, where a cruise ship and all its passengers are vaporized, along with the ship itself, in a hydrogen-bomb explosion. Flash forward six months: an Iowa mail carrier is struck immobile in the middle of the street. In rapid succession, we meet an assortment of characters; some of them (like the vice president of the U.S.) will be victims of this strange affliction; others (like journalist Karen Embry and Secret Service agent Joseph Kraig) will risk their lives to discover the secret of the epidemic and--this will come as no surprise to the veteran reader--the political conspiracy that lurks in the background. The author sticks closely to formula: open with some mysterious goings-on and a frightening disease; introduce the heroes and villains; construct an elaborate conspiracy; and bring it all together in a rousing finale. The formula serves him well enough, and he pushes all the right buttons, but the novel suffers a bit from its tired subject matter. Derivative but readable. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 752 pages
• Publisher: Harpercollins (December 31, 2019)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0007160070
• ISBN-13: 978-0007160075
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding political thriller, August 8, 2003

By 

Pangloss "soldierblue" (Woodstock, Georgia USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Pinocchio Syndrome: A Novel (Hardcover)

This is one of the best thrillers I have read this year. The story grabs you on the first page and you have to keep reading to see how everything turns out. This book has an intriguing plot and such a frightning concept that you have to wonder if this scenario could really happen. Evil politicians, real life characters and a nail biting pace keeps you up late trying to finish as soon as possible. I like this one and hope to see more from Mr. Zeman.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I LOVE syndromes!, June 27, 2003

By 

Karen Kirsch "blazerlib" (Novi, MI United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Pinocchio Syndrome: A Novel (Hardcover)

After "The Da Vinci Code" and "Angels and Demons", both by Dan Brown, I felt hard-pressed to find another novel that would capture my interest as much. Hooray to Dan Zeman, a first time author. "The Pinocchio Syndrome" was a totally captivating read.
It begins on a cruise ship filled with some unusual shipmates.
Their demise causes severe unrest in the U.S. This sets the stage for lack of confidence in the current governmental leadership as no culprit can be found. Add to that a mysterious fatal contagion that causes paralysis and eventual deformation of hands and feet...wow!...and the country is ready to call for new leaders, fearing terrorist activity.
Just when you think you can predict what is going to happen...NOOOO! I loved this book, especially the flawed reporter. You will never look at "Pin the Tail on the Donkey" in the same light. Trust me!

4.0 out of 5 stars Joint accounting, August 28, 2010

By 

Doreen Appleton (Scottsdale, Arizona) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Pinocchio Syndrome: A Novel (Hardcover)

The fact that Steve Rubin personally bought The Pinocchio Syndrome brought major foreign rights, such as $200,00 from the Germans and $150,000 from the Italians.

But Rubin wanted to joint-account two books by Zeman. To those of you who aren't authors, joint-accounting means taking money away from the second book to pay for poor earnings from the first book (using creative accounting, of course). Zeman refused, having read on Page 1 of "How to be an Author," "Never let them joint account you."

So Doubleday settled for one book. Zeman signed a 2-book contract with the British publisher, who insisted on a 2-book deal.

Rubin killed the book by buying zero advertising, while Zeman's agent, Deborah Schneider, allowed Zeman to spend $18,000 on radio advertising.

Doubleday at the time was developing a trade paperback line and a mass market paperback line. They refused The Pinocchio Syndrome for both lines.

As a result of this, Zeman had to cancel the second British book and drop the pseudonym.

The book got a rave review from the Washington Post, which was quite an accomplishment since the story was set in Washington.

Zeman is now writing literary novels, and is still counting the money from the $750,000 in foreign rights earned by the hardcover.