The Sentinel (Paperback)

by Gerald Petievich (Author) "SECRET SERVICE SPECIAL Agent Martha Breckinridge lifted the plastic sheet and aimed a Kel-light at Meriweather's corpse..." (more)
Key Phrases: blackmail letter, holding room, threat letter, Secret Service, Aryan Disciples, First Lady (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Former Secret Service agent Gerald Petievich (Money Men) describes the daily grind of protecting the President with meticulous care in The Sentinel. Unfortunately, his plot isn't quite as credible. Special Agent Pete Garrison suspects that the neo-Nazi Aryan Disciples have positioned one of their own in the White House, but his investigation is cut short by a blackmailer who knows of his affair with the First Lady and tries to frame him for murder. Though he is officially relieved of his duties, Garrison doesn't stop trying to prove his innocence and save the president's life. Relying on heavy dialogue, Petievich glosses over many details in an effort to keep the action hopping. Although the book's one plot thread is compelling, the story would have benefited from greater dimension.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Description
When a White House agent is murdered, another agent fears he's being framed. He has the motive: to hide his affair with the First Lady, and someone has the photos to prove it.

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Berkley (February 4, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425188795
• ISBN-13: 978-0425188798
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,145,701 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good premise trumps bad writing, April 21, 2006

By	David W. Nicholas (Montrose, CA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Sentinel (Paperback)

This is one of those books I have mixed feelings about. The author is an experienced Secret Service agent, and he brings to the book a wealth of knowledge and an insider's point of view that's probably unparalleled. The premise of the book, that a Secret Service agent is suspected of betraying the secrets of the president's protection detail to a group of white supremacists who have been conducting a bombing campaign. The white supremacists are in turn suspected of receiving money from Libya. The agent in question is cornered, and winds up running, then investigating the plot on his own. Things are complicated by the fact that he's also having an affair with the Fist Lady.

The reason this book gets only three stars instead of five is Petievich's writing, which has always been rather pedestrian. The main character is supposed to be a pulled-himself-up-by-his-bootstraps sort who joined the army straight out of high school. While he's intelligent, he's completely unsophisticated, no mention of books or art or music or anything. When someone accuses him of collaboration with the white supremacists, though, his response is a paragraph concluding with "How utterly absurd." So he's essentially uneducated, but he channels Sir Peter Wimsey. The author, truly, has a tin ear for dialogue, and can't write a suspenseful scene to save his life. When the plot takes what should be a suspenseful turn, things are actually rather boring.

A shame, because the premise, as I said, isn't bad. It's just the writing is awful. Maybe the movie will be better.

5.0 out of 5 stars Petievich Scores Again!, February 6, 2003

By A Customer

Fans of To Live and Die in L.A will be anxious to read Gerald Petievich's latest book. A great read, this book features a tightly woven plot centered in Washington,DC as a Secret Service agent fights against time to protect the President. Petievich kept leading me down paths before revealing that I'd made false assumptions. I read this book in one sitting -- that's how good it is.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Average Writing, June 13, 2006

By	Patrick Picciarelli "Author: THE POP LINE (Ha... (Pittsburgh. PA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Perhaps I'm being picky but shouldn't a former Secret Service agent know that a magazine for a semi-automatic pistol is not called a "clip," and there's no such thing as an effective sound supressor (silencer) for a revolver? The author should know better.

Aside from the amatuerish technical mistakes, the writing is average at best with stilted dialogue and unrealistic characters. There are plenty of other good thriller writers out there, seek them out and pass this book up.