Synopses & Reviews
A compelling new novel from Richard North Patterson- a major departure, and that confirms his place among the most important popular novelists at work today.
A newly elected president faces the unexpected chance to nominate a new chief justice of the Supreme Court. His first choice is a nationally respected Court of Appeals judge, a woman whose nomination faces two serious obstacles: a long-held personal secret; and the prospect that a volatile abortion case- a trial pitting a 15-year-old girl against her pro-life parents- will come before the court. And the Senate majority leader is determined to thwart the president's nomination for reasons that cross the boundary between the political and the personal.
As these stories intertwine, building in complexity and suspense, Patterson gives us the resounding clash of competing ambitions between the president and the majority leader; the equally momentous collision of science and culture in the courtroom; and, in an unprecedented novelistic depiction of the legal process from the perspective of the judge rather than the lawyers, a revelation of both how the judicial system works and how it intersects with politics, for better or for worse.
PROTECT AND DEFEND is a triumph- the definitive novel of politics and law at the dawn of the 21st century.
Review
"Brilliant....Patterson has caught lightning in a bottle....Put this one at the top of your list." Stephen King
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"A blissfully large-scale political thriller that's also an unsparing examination of tough questions about abortion, by an author shrewd and generous enough to give spokespeople of every persuasion their day in court." Kirkus Reviews
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"[A] thoroughly convincing account of a controversial Supreme Court confirmation proceeding....This is a page turner that leaves you not merely satisfied but informed." John W. Dean, The New York Times Book Review
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"Protect and Defend is engrossing from the first page, and my discomfort turned to fascination as Patterson cranked up a wild ride on a roller coaster of morality, politics and emotions." Carol Memmott, USA Today
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"[A] meticulously researched, sharply observed tension builder....Patterson's strong characterizations and sensitivity to both sides (though he leans pro-choice) illuminate one of society's most bitter and divisive issues." Publishers Weekly
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"Patterson...delivers a whopping political novel that is at once suspenseful and informative, gripping and touching....[B]oth a compelling story and an accessible dissertation on the complexities of our most troubling social issue." Booklist
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"In Protect and Defend, Mr. Patterson's characters of all political stripes are convincingly and memorably drawn. Through their public actions and backstage maneuvers, Protect and Defend builds to a powerful catharsis." Tom Nolan, The Wall Street Journal
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"With Protect and Defend, Richard North Patterson lays further claim to being one of America's best contemporary popular novelists." The Detroit News
Review
"Although the presentation suggests a pro-choice slant, Patterson's characters argue both sides of the issue intelligently, contributing to the intriguing complexity of a very thrilling political novel. Highly recommended." Library Journal
Synopsis
In a compelling new novel, Patterson makes a major departure that confirms his place among the most important writers at work today. A newly elected president faces the unexpected chance to nominate a new chief justice of the Supreme Court, but the Senate majority leader is determined to thwart the nomination for reasons that cross the boundary between the political and the personal. What results is the definitive novel of politics and law at the dawn of the 21st century.
About the Author
Richard North Patterson is the author of 10 previous novels, including Dark Lady, No Safe Place, The Final Judgement, and Eyes of a Child. He has won an Edgar Allen Poe Award and France's Grand Prix de Litterature Policiere. He lives with his wife and children in San Francisco and on Martha's Vineyard.