Revolution #9: A Thriller [Hardcover]

Peter Abrahams (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1992 | Series: Revolution (Book 9)

A 1960s revolutionary, whose violent actions have caused him to go into hiding as a Cape Cod lobsterman, lets himself get close to a woman and is blackmailed at his wedding when a stranger threatens to reveal his true identity and turn him in. 25,000 first printing.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Radical terrorists of the '60s, now fugitives, face the karmic consequences of their past mistakes in this suspenseful but uneven thriller by the author of Hard Rain. Implicated in a campus bombing that killed an innocent boy, protagonist Blake Wrightman took on the identity of Cape Cod lobsterman Charlie Ochs and lived in solitude for 20 years. But early in this tale, Charlie falls in love and marries Emily, who is pregnant with his child. On the couple's wedding night, two government agents collar Charlie and threaten to hold him accountable--unless he helps them nail his former accomplices. The next morning Charlie sets off on a perilous journey across the continent and deep into his own past. Abrahams adroitly juggles the initially unconnected stories of his large cast of characters, building tension steadily as he brings their paths closer together. But other elements are less convincing. The federal agent who contacts Charlie is dying of cancer and pursuing an unauthorized personal vendetta. The frequent '60s flashbacks are too pat and verge on caricature. And the novel's central ironic refrain--yesterday's radicals as today's materialists--is hardly fresh, though Abrahams certainly milks it: the kid who built the radicals' bomb now supplies SDI software to the Pentagon; the group's old leader now develops real estate and has appeared on Jeopardy! Still, expert pacing and an intriguing plot hold the reader's interest.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

To protest the U.S. invasion of Cambodia in 1970, three students bombed their college ROTC building, unintentionally killing an 11-year-old boy, then going underground. Twenty-two years later, Charlie Ochs, a lobsterman living a solitary life, lowers his guard when he meets a lovely woman and embarks on a course that will lead to convergence with the other two fugitives. A government counterterrorism agent, who is out to get a William Kunstler-like lawyer, takes advantage of coincidences to drive the action in this topical suspense story by the author of Pressure Drop (Dutton, 1989). Abrahams creates fully dimensional characters (deftly sketching even minor figures), crisp and true dialog, and fine texture and atmosphere, weaving his protagonists' lives together with considerable skill. Just about as good as it gets. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 4/1/92.
- Michele Leber, Fairfax Cty. P.L., Va.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 325 pages
• Publisher: Mysterious Pr (August 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0892964812
• ISBN-13: 978-0892964819
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,803,180 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Peter Abrahams - "criminally gifted" according to the New York Times Book Review - is the author of 27 novels. These include the New York Times bestselling Echo Falls mystery series for middle-graders (DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE, BEHIND THE CURTAIN, INTO THE DARK) and REALITY CHECK (2009) for teens. Among his adult books are OBLIVION (Shamus prize finalist), THE FAN (made into a movie with Robert DeNiro) and LIGHTS OUT (Edgar award finalist). DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE was a finalist for the Edgar best young adult mystery award and won the Agatha in the same category. BEHIND THE CURTAIN and INTO THE DARK were Agatha finalists. In her Cleveland Plain Dealer review of NERVE DAMAGE (2007), Michelle Ross wrote: "I swear, if one more literary person says in that oh-so-condescendng tone, 'Oh, I don't read ... mysteries,' I'm going to take a novel by Peter Abrahams and smack him on his smug little head." REALITY CHECK won the best young adult mystery Edgar award in 2010. ROBBIE FORESTER AND THE OUTLAWS OF SHERWOOD STREET, January 2012, is first in a new middle-grade series about a twelve-year-old Robin Hood in contemporary Brooklyn.
As Spencer Quinn, Abrahams also writes the New York Times bestselling Chet and Bernie mystery series: DOG ON it, THEREBY HANGS A TAIL, TO FETCH A THIEF, and THE DOG WHO KNEW TOO MUCH. He has a website - peterabrahams.com; and so does Chet - chetthedog.com.