Customer Reviews

Protect and Defend: A Novel

5 star:		(60)
4 star:		(38)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(21)

 

 

I had never heard of Richard North Patterson until I read this book. I am a 65 year old Gynecologist who does not read a lot of fiction, but since reading Protect and Defend (P&D), I have read two other works by Patterson: the newly retitled Caroline Masters and No Safe Place. While these are not so fine as Protect and Defend, which I consider on a plane with The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver and The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoyevski, they are also compelling books of their genre. Back to P&D - As a close observer of the political scene for the past 50 years and one with an extensive and hardwon knowledge of the abortion issue and its advocates on both sides, this book is a like a college course in current American political life and mores as well as the highly complex and agonizing partial birth abortion controversy. I was surprised and pleased that someone who was neither a physician nor a politician could "get it right" on so many levels: current day partisan political infighting over a supreme court nominee, campaign finance and the serious consequences of its current practice, the highjacking of the once responsible Repubilcan Party by special interests and the Religious Right, the extreme difficulty of adhering to principle by politicians dependent on the hugh sums of money poured into the politican system by one issue interest groups on both the left and the right, and last but not least, the complexity of the compelling legitimate arguments on both sides of the abortion issue. While North might seem to favor the Pro-choice forces, he demonstrates admirably the compelling arguments and the sincerity of many in the rank and file on the Pro-life side in his portrayal of the Tiernay parents and Senator Chad Palmer, while portraying accurately the crassness and insensitivity of radical partisans on both sides in his picture of the Christian Committment's attorney's (Pro-life) and the Anthony's Legions' leader's (Pro-choice) willingness to destroy anyone unwilling to march the last mile with them. I have recommended this book to every friend and aquaintance and patient I have seen in the last month, since I bought and read it, and will continue to do so.

This is the best novel I have read in many years. It combines all of the essential ingredients: colorful and credible characters, a crisp and cohesive plot, important themes, memorable incidents which become defining moments, all manner of compelling conflicts, and a remarkable authenticity of setting. Patterson also demonstrates a special gift for wit, evident in countless conversations between antagonists.

Briefly, Kerry Kilcannon, President of the United States, nominates Caroline Masters to replace the recently deceased Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. He has sworn to "protect and defend the Constitution of the United States" and believes that Masters is best qualified to help him do so. There is fierce opposition to her in the Senate, led by MacDonald Page. Another Senator, Chad Palmer, is caught in the political maneuverings between Kilcannon and Gage. That is one of two primary plots. The second focuses on Mary Anne Tierney, a pregnant and unwed teenager, who sues her parents to abort what is believed to be a terminally deformed fetus. This is in defiance of their Pro Life convictions as well as the recently passed Protection of Life bill which Gage and his cohorts are determined to "protect and defend." There are also various sub-plots.

The more I think about the title, the better I understand why Patterson chose it. His primary and secondary characters all struggle to protect and defend themselves in terms of their values, their fiduciary and (in several instances) parental responsibilities, their social and/or political leverage, and their carefully-guarded secrets. Patterson is a great storyteller. Also, he reveals a deep concern for preserving a nation's constitutional integrity.

This is a "great read" which, obviously, I recommend highly.

Recently appointed President, Kerry Kilcannon, has to face his first challenge: the death of the Chief Justice of the United States. The death comes as a shock, and leaves a vacant seat on the Supreme Court, a seat that needs to be filled quickly as a major abortion case of a fifteen year-old comes to trial. President Kilcannon decides to nominate Caroline Masters, a woman hiding a secret.

Mary Ann Tierney is a fifteen year-old girl in trouble: she is pregnant and her baby is at risk of being born without a brain, as well as further ruining any chance of her having other children. Mary Ann's parent's are conservatives against abortion...no matter what the risk, so begins a legal battle as the parents want custody of their daughter's unborn baby.

As the case heats up, so do the political games that will be played to expose Caroline and keep her off the Supreme Court.

"Protect And Defend" is an oustanding tale of legal and political suspense, laced with the hot topic of abortion.

Richard North Patterson has crafted his best tale in years; bringing characters from previous novels and placing them in a masterful novel that CAN NOT BE PUT DOWN.

A MUST READ!!!

Nick Gonnella

Richard North Patterson dares to write a book that is essentially a long extended discussion of political ideas and the inner-workings of the courts and Congress. What a great read it is! Patterson remembers that politics is personal and consistently shows the human side of people's beliefs. During an extended trial, various people testify regarding third-trimester abortion. Patterson insures that all who testify have very strong, very personal reasons for their opinions and they frequently bring up many troubling issues.

Patterson's greatest achievement with this book is that he is able to make you think about issues that you already thought you had long decided on. It is also a pleasure to spend more time with characters from his previous books. He cares deeply about what he is writing and the subjects that he brings up and you will finding yourself caring just as much from the first pages. Only Gore Vidal is able to capture in fiction the feel of politics with the same feeling of truth and quiet passion.

I can't say enough about this book. I have been a fan of Richard North Patterson and didn't think he could top No Safe Place, which I considered his best work. He has outdone himself. In combining a legal case with the politics of abortion, he has given us a timely plot with fascinating characters, many we ahve met in some of his earlier books. He obviously did his homework and the authnticity is what adds to book's greatness. At times, the legal machinations and trial scenes can get tiresome, but they do not take away from a first-class plot. Although I suspected the end result, I could never have predicted what brought us there. I was rivited from the first page. Excellent read.

It is understandable that at first glance, this is a left-winger's dream come true for storytelling. But Patterson's work truly dissects the processes and problems involved with such controversial issues. It's not just about ProLife vs. ProChoice, the Republicans vs. Democrats. There is a sense that this is more about the true struggle between various identities, especially those of people we directly appoint as our lawmakers, law enforcers. Though at times it seems slightly over the top, the number of people *directly* affected by abortion seems incredible, I can assume that it's not impossible given the number of people living in this country and how small the world is actually becoming. Whatever your principle, view, choice, this story asks much of us and reveals even more.

Ric Patterson is such a mature novelist and exceptional court room dramatist that his books are literally "too hard to put down." His legal training makes his dialogue realistic, and his skill as a writer captures the reader to keep turning the page. He is far better than most, but seldom recognized as such. This book is as good as if not better than No Safe Place and makes you look forward to the next novel.

Richard North Patterson has written his most compelling book, which is a significant statement given the incredible body of work which preceded Protect and Defend. He shows that he cannot be pigeonholed only as a writer of great "legal thrillers," though he certainly is that as well. This book looks at abortion, politics, the Supreme Court through a complex and interlocking network of fully drawn characters and intriguing scenarios. This is a great writer at the very top of his game. "Advise and Consent" has been the gold standard of books which seek to protray and analyze politics and the flawed humans who practice it, and "Protect and Defend" can now be mentioned in the same breath. This is a great and highly readable book which will give the reader the clearest possible picture of how our system works or, sometimes, fails to work.

Richard North Patterson is one of my favorite authors in this genre and Degree of Guilt, Eyes of the Child and The Final Judgement will go down as three of my favorite books of all time. Bearing all this in mind and knowing that Caroline Masters (who appeared in all three of the aforementioned books) was one of the featured main characters in his newest book, Protect and Defend, I anxiously awaited its arrival in the bookstores. So you can imagine how hard it is for me not to give this book a five star rating. I'm struggling to give it 4 stars and will do so only because Patterson is a talented author and, in my eyes, can't tell a bad story. My feeling is that if you weren't sick of hearing about the abortion issue on every politician's lips before, you will certainly be sick of it after reading this book. There were so many times during this reading that I said, "all right already -- I get the picture." Don't get me wrong -- I am making no political statement here pro or con. This book deftly gives you both sides of the issue brilliantly and with duly noted extensive research on the part of the author. I just felt there were at least 200 unnecessary pages in this 549 page book and, after awhile, I felt I was being lectured.

The book begins with Kerry Kilcannon's inauguration, a character already featured in previous RNP books. By the slimmest of margins (sound familiar), he has finally been elected President of the United States. Of course, his excitement of the day is short-lived as the present Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court has a sudden stroke and dies at the ceremony leaving an opening that President Kilcannon must now fill. He nominates Caroline Masters, a judge of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco. Fans of Patterson, who have already read The Final Judgement, will know that her rise to the Circuit Court was no easy task and also that she has some secrets in her past that could come to light with the scrutinizing that the nominating committee will oversee. This nomination is an important one because it cold swing the vote in an already closely divided Supreme Court. The one thing in her favor is that she has never come up against any abortion issues so her views are her own -- PRIVATE -- or is there such a word in politics? Just as her nomination is coming to the forefront, Sarah Dash, an ex law clerk of Masters, has agreed to take on the case of a 15 year old girl who wants a late term abortion but her parents won't allow it for religious, moral and political reasons. If Caroline Masters wasn't involved in a case having to do with abortion before, she will be in the thick of it right now.

This book actually made me sick of politics and sick of the hypocrisy of the whole thing. It is full of characters who are spouting one belief yet are doing something totally against their beliefs in the background -- come to think of it, this book could have been non-fiction. The one thing that I did come away with after reading this book was how very important these Supreme Court nominations really are and how the balance of power can shift by just one appointment. Unfortunately, it also showed me the power behind some of the lobbyists who use politicians as puppets. The moral of this story is -- MONEY TALKS -- a very sad moral to this reader.

Richard North Patterson's newest is a follow-up to his excellent "No Safe Place" published several years ago. Kerry Kilcannon is now the recently elected Democratic President, and things begin to fall apart on his very first day in office. During Kilcannon's inaugural address to the nation, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court dies from a stroke while on the stage. Kilcannon's nominee for Chief Justice is a controversial female federal judge from California, Caroline Masters (also from his earlier novels).

In the midst of the intensely partisan confirmation process, a volatile late-term abortion case is moving its way up through the California courts and appears headed for the Supreme Court. Patterson gives us a look at the interesting inner workings of the federal courts and the Senate as they wrestle with difficult issues.

This book is a good read. I got a little tired of what seemed like overemphasis on the pros and cons of abortion, but I guess it was necessary in order to provide a balanced view. Nevertheless, this is one of those big, sprawling novels that you can really sink your teeth into. BUY IT.