Protect and Defend

Although a bit slow starting with all the characters entwined, this was one of the most thought provocating, complex legal issues that brought the reader to struggle with their own opinions of rights, wrongs, values,legal issues.

I had never heard of Richard North Patterson until I read this book. I am a 65 year old Gynecologist who does not read a lot of fiction, but since reading Protect and Defend (P & D), I have read two other works by Patterson: the newly retitled Caroline Masters and No Safe Place. While these are not so fine as Protect and Defend, which I consider on a plane with The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver and The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoyevski, they are also compelling books of their genre. Back to P & D - As a close observer of the political scene for the past 50 years and one with an extensive and hardwon knowledge of the abortion issue and its advocates on both sides, this book is a like a college course in current American political life and mores as well as the highly complex and agonizing partial birth abortion controversy. I was surprised and pleased that someone who was neither a physician nor a politician could "get it right" on so many levels: current day partisan political infighting over a supreme court nominee, campaign finance and the serious consequences of its current practice, the highjacking of the once responsible Repubilcan Party by special interests and the Religious Right, the extreme difficulty of adhering to principle by politicians dependent on the hugh sums of money poured into the politican system by one issue interest groups on both the left and the right, and last but not least, the complexity of the compelling legitimate arguments on both sides of the abortion issue. While North might seem to favor the Pro-choice forces, he demonstrates admirably the compelling arguments and the sincerity of many in the rank and file on the Pro-life side in his portrayal of the Tiernay parents and Senator Chad Palmer, while portraying accurately the crassness and insensitivity of radical partisans on both sides in his picture of the Christian Committment's attorney's (Pro-life) and the Anthony's Legions' leader's (Pro-choice) willingness to destroy anyone unwilling to march the last mile with them. I have recommended this book to every friend and aquaintance and patient I have seen in the last month, since I bought and read it, and will continue to do so.

This is the best novel I have read in many years. It combines all of the essential ingredients: colorful and credible characters, a crisp and cohesive plot, important themes, memorable incidents which become defining moments, all manner of compelling conflicts, and a remarkable authenticity of setting. Patterson also demonstrates a special gift for wit, evident in countless conversations between antagonists.Briefly, Kerry Kilcannon, President of the United States, nominates Caroline Masters to replace the recently deceased Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. He has sworn to "protect and defend the Constitution of the United States" and believes that Masters is best qualified to help him do so. There is fierce opposition to her in the Senate, led by MacDonald Page. Another Senator, Chad Palmer, is caught in the political maneuverings between Kilcannon and Gage. That is one of two primary plots. The second focuses on Mary Anne Tierney, a pregnant and unwed teenager, who sues her parents to abort what is believed to be a terminally deformed fetus. This is in defiance of their Pro Life convictions as well as the recently passed Protection of Life bill which Gage and his cohorts are determined to "protect and defend." There are also various sub-plots.The more I think about the title, the better I understand why Patterson chose it. His primary and secondary characters all struggle to protect and defend themselves in terms of their values, their fiduciary and (in several instances) parental responsibilities, their social and/or political leverage, and their carefully-guarded secrets. Patterson is a great storyteller. Also, he reveals a deep concern for preserving a nation's constitutional integrity. This is a "great read" which, obviously, I recommend highly.

Richard North Patterson dares to write a book that is essentially a long extended discussion of political ideas and the inner-workings of the courts and Congress. What a great read it is! Patterson remembers that politics is personal and consistently shows the human side of people's beliefs. During an extended trial, various people testify regarding third-trimester abortion. Patterson insures that all who testify have very strong, very personal reasons for their opinions and they frequently bring up many troubling issues. Patterson's greatest achievement with this book is that he is able to make you think about issues that you already thought you had long decided on. It is also a pleasure to spend more time with characters from his previous books. He cares deeply about what he is writing and the subjects that he brings up and you will finding yourself caring just as much from the first pages. Only Gore Vidal is able to capture in fiction the feel of politics with the same feeling of truth and quiet passion.

I can't say enough about this book. I have been a fan of Richard North Patterson and didn't think he could top No Safe Place, which I considered his best work. He has outdone himself. In combining a legal case with the politics of abortion, he has given us a timely plot with fascinating characters, many we ahve met in some of his earlier books. He obviously did his homework and the authnticity is what adds to book's greatness. At times, the legal machinations and trial scenes can get tiresome, but they do not take away from a first-class plot. Although I suspected the end result, I could never have predicted what brought us there. I was rivited from the first page. Excellent read.

Recently appointed President, Kerry Kilcannon, has to face his first challenge: the death of the Chief Justice of the United States. The death comes as a shock, and leaves a vacant seat on the Supreme Court, a seat that needs to be filled quickly as a major abortion case of a fifteen year-old comes to trial. President Kilcannon decides to nominate Caroline Masters, a woman hiding a secret.Mary Ann Tierney is a fifteen year-old girl in trouble: she is pregnant and her baby is at risk of being born without a brain, as well as further ruining any chance of her having other children. Mary Ann's parent's are conservatives against abortion...no matter what the risk, so begins a legal battle as the parents want custody of their daughter's unborn baby.As the case heats up, so do the political games that will be played to expose Caroline and keep her off the Supreme Court."Protect And Defend" is an oustanding tale of legal and political suspense, laced with the hot topic of abortion.Richard North Patterson has crafted his best tale in years; bringing characters from previous novels and placing them in a masterful novel that CAN NOT BE PUT DOWN.A MUST READ!!!Nick Gonnella