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The Second Amendment #1 (Crime, legal thriller (action, political)) [Kindle Edition]

John Matthews
3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (96 customer reviews)

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Book Description

One simple thesis.
But it threatens the very
roots of the Constitution.
There's too much at stake.

20,000 gun deaths a year, schoolyard massacres, and now a wave of militia bombings... America is under siege.

At the heart of the storm is Josette Horvath, the FBI counter-terrorist agent whose world is torn apart when her young son, Daniel, falls victim to a militia bomb. Her brother Bernard's latest political studies thesis meanwhile focuses on the thorny issue suddenly foremost with the President and an outraged America: stricter gun control.

But Bernard doesn't appreciate just how momentous and far-reaching his thesis is destined to become. And as Josette, torn between tracking the bombers and coping with her son's fate, discovers the extent to which the far right have infiltrated the FBI and the White House - she realizes this is one final battle she can't possibly win.

An explosive, uncompromising thriller which confronts head-on one of the most fiery issues of the past two decades: gun control.

Reviews:
If Vince Flynn and John Grisham got together to tackle probably the most controversial issue of the past two decades - Gun Control - this is what they might come up with. Hair-trigger suspense all the way. Electrifying.
Crime Ink

The FBI and Capitol Hill go head-on against the far-right and self-appointed militias in this no-holds-barred thriller. Amongst all the bullets and mayhem, the thorny issue of gun control is also handled sensitively – but don't expect much time to draw breath between the two. A 'loaded' issue in more ways than one.
Books, etc.

A novelist of real accomplishment.
Amazon co.uk.

John Matthews is a leading British thriller writer. His books span genres of crime, action, mystery and legal-thriller and include: Basikasingo, Crescents of the Moon, Past Imperfect, The Last Witness, The Second Amendment, Ascension Day, The Shadow Chaser and The Prophet.

They have been translated into 12 languages with total sales of 1.2 million. In 2007, Past Imperfect was included in a top ten all-time best legal thrillers list in The Times. He was one of only two British authors in the list.


The Second Amendment #1 is part of a two book set. While a number of issues are resolved in book #1, book #2 is required for the full resoultion and climax on all issues.

The Second Amendment #1 is 76,000 words (approx 250 pages.
The Second Amendment #2 is 95,000 words. (approx 335 pages)


*********

Read the book that publishers didn't want you to read!

At the height of my career with Penguin, between Past Imperfect and Ascension Day, I wrote a novel called 'The Second Amendment.' Too American a theme, said Penguin; too controversial, said US publishers. However, to my agent and numerous readers since, in terms of a hard-edged, no compromises, adrenalin-rush thrill ride, it was my best book.

Too controversial? We should recall that pre-911, the Oklahoma bombing was the biggest terrorist attack to take place on US soil; and the NRA continues to be one of the most powerful lobby groups.

In the ten years since first writing The Second Amendment, there have been over 200,000 gun deaths in the USA, from simple domestic or street arguments to drive-by shootings or Columbine-style school massacres. It remains an enigma of US society that there isn't as strong a voice for the victims as for the groups keen to preserve guns; which is no doubt why, still ten years on, gun control remains one of the hottest debates in US society and beyond.

Edit notes: updates and changes for some US idiomatics have been made on the 20th November, 2012.


Product Details

  • File Size: 444 KB
  • Print Length: 216 pages
  • Publisher: E-media books (February 15, 2012)
  • Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B007A53RX0
  • Text-to-Speech: Enabled
  • X-Ray: Enabled
  • Lending: Enabled
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,920 Free in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Free in Kindle Store)
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Customer Reviews

Too many characters and subplots to really develop reader interest in any. Jack Hawthorne  |  10 reviewers made a similar statement
The action scenes are gritty and the pace strong. cjd1293  |  15 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Well Thought Out and Captivating from Beginning to End September 24, 2012
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
I purchased this book looking for a novel to entertain me and interest me. This book exceded my expectations and was one of the best books I've read in a long time. Like the thrillers written by masters such as Steven King, and James Patterson, this one was full of suspense, action, and had a deeper meaning to it. Whether you are for, or against gun control, if you like well written and suspenseful thrillers, you'll love this book. The plot is well paced, and the writing is detailed but thrilling, making you feel as if you're really there, watching these events unfold. I have recommended it to all of my friends and would recommend it to anyone looking for an entertaining and captivating novel.
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17 of 24 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars The English and the Bill of Rights July 23, 2012
Format:Kindle Edition
This is a pathetic attempt by an Englishman to help dismantle the second amendment by using fiction as a velvet-gloved fist. Am I the only one to find that ironic? A person can't even defend him/herself in England without getting into a boatload of legal trouble, possibly including jail, and this twerp wants to convince us to follow that example? Thank you, but no. As a carrying female, I prefer my second amendment rights, and this author can take a long jump off a short dock.
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Matches the best of them November 23, 2012
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
When I saw comparisons to Vince Flynn and John Grisham from some reviewers, at first I was sceptical. I've read practically everything those two authors have to offer and hold them in high esteem. Combined with this book being free and some doubting reviews, my expectations were none too high.

But a couple of chapters in, I could tell the writing was strong. The plot gripped me, the action and dialogue flowed and I could quickly see that those comparisons were spot-on. Three days later I'd finished book #1 and dived into book #2. This is a strong read by any measure: vivid action scenes and a hot-button issue handled intelligently and done justice. You couldn't ask for more. I then bothered to check the author's bio and saw that he had an earlier book in a top ten all time best thrillers list in a leading rag. One of the other authors in that same list was no less than John Grisham. I can see why now!
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars just didn't get into it July 17, 2012
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
I tried this book based on the mostly positive reviews but it never really engaged me. I did plow though the book but found no joy in it. Perhaps this is just a matter of personal taste but for me the book was a disappointment.
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23 of 33 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars Dissatisfying July 29, 2012
By S. Loft
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
The lead character in this book is wonderful-- a strong, black/biracial woman FBI agent. She's interesting, likeable and will have you rooting for her. That's the good news.

I have two major problems with the book. The single biggest disappointment is a lack of conclusion. The action builds up to a climax and then ends suddenly. To get the rest of the story you will have to buy book 2. It feels as if all of the first book is just a tease. It definitely cannot stand alone.

Another annoyance is the political cliche. All liberals are intelligent, noble people trying to save the world and all conservatives are racists of varying degrees or power-hungry psychopaths. Give me a break.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Second Amendment #1 May 10, 2013
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
A story line that keeps you wanting to find out what happens. However, you must follow up by reading Second Amendment #2.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book, questionable reactions April 24, 2013
Format:Kindle Edition
If Vince Flynn and Scott Turow got together to write a book which confronted head on, all-guns blazing, the hot topic of gun-control, this is what you might expect. I say that because the action scenes are full-on and very visual, yet the topic is handled with depth and sympathy. It really gets you behind the lobbying and voting on gun control in a way which no other book I've so far read has managed.

But what many readers appear to have missed is that the two main characters, Josette and her brother, Bernard, are what I'd call 'transatlantics'. While born in the USA, they've spent most of their lives embassy hopping with their diplomat father. They've therefore spent more time in Europe and the Middle East than they have in the USA. So this is in fact exactly how they'd speak. Also a heavy chunk of the book is set in England at Oxford University. For my money the dialogue and comments were spot-on for both.

In the end this isn't a view that many on the far right would necessarily agree with, but it is nevertheless an accurate reflection of how the world outside view the more staunch US protective stances on guns - because both Josette and Bernard have spent so much time in that world. So while you might not like that view, don't attack it for being inaccurate.

This is obviously a subject the author knows well and has researched extensively and the writing is strong. No surprise when you check the author's bio and see that he's been an editor for many years and has another book in a top-ten all time best list alongside Grisham. I in fact read another book by this same author first, Ascension Day, which was set totally in the USA, with no comments at all about grammar or idioms.
... Read more ›
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Great plot, hot topic, vibrant characters April 14, 2013
By Erica
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
What more can you ask for? The book starts with a bang, literally! The bombing of an ATF building by an extreme right-wing group in which the infant son of central character Josette Horvath is caught. From there the plot strands spread out, involving a raid on an ex-KGB building to get vital documents to blackmail the Vice-President, while at Oxford University Josette's brother Bernard is in a political studies class where a key topic under debate is US gun control.

The author handles all of this skilfully by at all times seeing it through the eyes of the characters. So the Oxford scenes as you'd expect have a strong anti-gun slant, but many of the later lobbying scenes are pro-gun - or at least spotlight the humongous problem faced trying to make any changes to the 2nd Amendment. One Senator raises the point that many of the militia groups in his State are in fact very patriotic and would never dream of turning a gun on a fellow man. So the point is made clearly that most of these groups are miles apart from the extreme right wing group responsible for the bombing.

Sadly I think the right-wing reaction to this book supports rather than defeats the points it makes: that reactions on gun control are often extreme and volatile and some will go to any lengths to protect those rights. It is though first and foremost a highly intense and exciting thriller with a great plot and strong characters which doesn't take its foot of the gas for a second. Which makes me suspect those readers saying otherwise. More right-wingers in sheeps clothing perhaps?

This review covers book #1 and #2. My copy of both was editorially clean and perfect with no spelling or grammar errors.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Gripping thriller that also informs
Little to fault with this thriller: exciting, great characters, action-packed and a thrill a minute. Read more
Published 2 hours ago by harmonycadence
2.0 out of 5 stars Another gun control political statement.
I should have known better just by the title of the book. However, I love legal thrillers so I decided to give it a shot. Well, my instincts were right.... Read more
Published 1 day ago by Gayle
4.0 out of 5 stars Okay, So-so Read
Not as exciting a some of the John Gresham novels, but for the price it will do in a pinch.
Published 1 day ago by ClarenceS
2.0 out of 5 stars What happened???
Clearly a great deal of work has been invested in this book, yet where was the editor whose job it surely was to notice spelling and grammar errors? Read more
Published 3 days ago by Lollipop
3.0 out of 5 stars Decent read, but I have issues.....
While I enjoyed reading the book, I have to take issue with a number of things...

This is the "teaser". Read more
Published 22 days ago by TGinAZ
3.0 out of 5 stars A Scam
It was a scam. This book was offered on Kindle for free. He is a pretty good writer, weaves an interesting yarn, so I kept reading even though it was longer than I appreciated. Read more
Published 1 month ago by David May
5.0 out of 5 stars Great thriller
One of my best reads this year and considering that it's free, an exceptional find. Although it's fair to comment that book 2 should also be read to get the full scope of this... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Emma Rhodes
2.0 out of 5 stars Liberal stretch of the imagination
An attempt to corrupt. I don't think I'll get the second installment to see how this slant ends. Nice try at fiction.
Published 1 month ago by Ronell Crossley
2.0 out of 5 stars hard to follow/needs a good editor to clean it up!
This book does need a good editor. It's not great in that regard.

The chapters skip around with no real "marker" to let you know you've jumped from one character to... Read more
Published 1 month ago by PurpleE
3.0 out of 5 stars A page-turner
A pretty good read, certainly relevant today. There were grammatical, typo and syntax errors sprinkled throughout but they didn't hinder the overall read.
Published 2 months ago by JOAN M. HAWKS
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More About the Author

As any Hollywood executive will tell you, there are three main acts in a film - and I suppose it could be said that my writing career has followed the same path.

The first act was two novels written in my twenties, Basikasingo and Crescents of the Moon. Published by Hutchinson/Arrow Books in London, both did well, selling 100,000 plus. But I became distracted with other publishing ventures and didn't return to writing novels for some while.

That return (Act Two, if you will), was with one of my strongest books to date, Past Imperfect. A crime thriller with a difference - think in terms of John Grisham meets Stephen King, but with an atmospheric 1960s French setting - Past Imperfect went on to sell over 500,000 copies in 8 countries. The Last Witness, The Shadow Chaser and Ascension Day followed in similar crime-thriller style. This in turn led to me penning a film treatment for Past Imperfect and also a fresh film script, 'Blind School' (Act Three).

Part of this has also involved a book in a different style, crossing the mythology-political thriller genre, which has been particularly succesful with foreign rights sales, adding Brazil, Turkey, Portugal and Bulgaria to my existing list of teritories. Putting my back-list on Kindle - which has seen the three titles so far listed all in the top-ten legal thrillers list on Amazon (again!). And finally penning a new novel in collaboration with TV producer Richard Belfield (for which we've become J.R. Mattfeld) to kick-start a crime-detective series set in 1890s New York, the first of which involves Jack the Ripper (yes, you heard right!). More on that later...

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