Synopses & Reviews
"At thirty-two minutes past eight this morning, in a clear act of terrorism, the president of the United States was assassinated."
A nightmare scenario is brought to frightening life in this suspense-packed novel informed by a Washington insider's knowledge. Sweeping from the White House Situation Room to Camp David to the inner sanctums of the FBI, Caspar Weinberger's Chain Of Command pits Secret Service agent Mike Delaney against a ruthless hidden enemy with the cold-blooded will to take out the leader of the free world in an explosive act of violence -- and the arrogance to frame Delaney for the killing. Someone has infiltrated the highest levels of government to see their catastrophic plans made real, and Delaney, prepared to give his life for his president, is now on the run to save himself, his innocence -- and America's freedom.
Review
"First-rate.... It will keep you up all night."
-- The Kingston Observer (MA)
Review
"Entertaining suspense that will please action-seekers."
-- Booklist
Review
"Crackling with chilling authenticity.... A superbly paced, tightly plotted winner."
-- Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Synopsis
Two term Reagan Secretary of Defense Weinberger collaborating with Schweizer (The Next War) turns in a debut political thriller crackling with a chilling authenticity and riveting dirty dealing. When Secret Service Special Agent Michael Delaney, a longtime member of the presidential security detail, awakes blearily one morning at Camp David, he discovers that someone's swapped guns with himand within minutes, the president and vice president are shot with Delaney's own Beretta. Before the wounded VP is taken to surgery, he's sworn in as president; moments later, multiple cities get hit in small but lethal coordinated attacks. The new POTUS, who sees opportunity in disaster, declares a state of national emergency, putting the entire nation under martial law, then prepares to take out a right-wing militia on whom he has pinned the attacks. Before a highly skeptical Delaney can catch his breath, he finds himself accused of being complicit in hitting the president and VP. The novel tracks, over nine days, the particulars of the White House power grab and Delaney's desperate attempts to derail it, both in the District and in some tense encounters with the Appalachia-based right-wingers.
About the Author
Caspar Weinberger served as secretary of defense under President Ronald Reagan for more than six years. After leaving the Pentagon, he became publisher and chairman of Forbes magazine. The author of Fighting for Peace, an account of his Pentagon years, and coauthor of The Next War, an analysis of the U.S. military after the Cold War, he died in 2006. Peter Schweizer is a writer whose articles have appeared in The New York Times and Foreign Affairs. His previous books, including Friendly Spies and Victory, have been translated into several languages.