Romance Masquarading as Political Thriller

books:


	• No Safe Place Richard North Patterson Ballantine Books, 1999 - 544 pages average customer review:based on 85 reviews view larger image
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Patterson has gotten even better

I've read nearly all of Richard North Patterson's previous books. I've liked them quite a lot mostly. In this current series of 3 (of which this is the first) he is at the very top of his game. In several of his past books he seemed to spend a fair portion of the book ruminating about childhood traumas as the focus of the book. This series is different. The focus is much more in the present and the characters past is mentioned much more briefly as an explanation of their complexity. I couldn't put the book down and am in the middle of the rest of the series now - it really is one long story in three books. It shows a behind the scenes view of American Politics that is much like the view I get from the TV series West Wing. You get the feeling that the people really do and say and think the things his characters do. He has villains (of course) but they are also multi-dimensional people and even though you don't agree with their view of the world and why they do villainous things, you can see why THEY have those views. Highly recommended! This is an author who has only gotten better over the years.

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Good book, but the twist was pointless

I really enjoyed the book - until the end.
It seems like Patterson didn't know what else to do with the affair between Kerry and Lara, so he just dropped the whole thing.
I still don't understand why Patterson chose the man he did to be the assassin. The whole idea of the radical pro-life killer was good enough without having to bring back someone from Kerry's past. (A someone who had nothing to do with the pro-life cause when Kerry knew him.)
A very good book, but be prepared for the strange twists at the end.

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Great author, great book...

One of my favorite authors. Will run out and buy anything he writes. Well-known for his research into his books, as is especially evident here (take a look at his acknowledgements in the back of his books). As a counselor in the area of abuse and violence, I was particularly impressed with how realistic his portrayals were. Made me wonder if this was based on research or was from personal experience. For those of you out there who grew up witnessing abuse, this book will hit home. Patterson, as always, delivers an excellent book. Another reason I like Patterson's books is b/c he consistently writes fabulous, likable characters and complex storylines. Also, there usually is a connection to other books (i.e., this book is the story of the younger brother of a presidential candidate. The older brother is the subject of another book).

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Romance Masquarading as Political Thriller

This is my second Patterson, and once again I immensely enjoyed its readability and the high quality of writing for something in the thriller genre. Patterson certainly hooks you and keeps you turning pages to find out what will happen, but he's not all plot. Perhaps "smart" is the best word to describe his writing. He has clever turns of phrase and dialogue that is just . . . well . . . smart.

Indeed, he is so good at plot hooks and smart writing, that I didn't pay attention to the book's flaws until I had finished. And it does have flaws. Patterson is known for his courtroom dramas, and, while this book does contain one extended trial that reveals some "real life" tricks of direct and cross-examination, the key event of the trial---one that drives the ultimate outcome and the rest of the hero's life---is just ridiculous as a matter of law.

So, it's not a courtroom drama. It is also not a political thriller. Rather, it's a romance---boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back---played out in the context of a political campaign. It's the romance, though, that drives the story. It succeeds because of the likeability of the hero and the heroine, and developing characters of that sort: smart, noble and sensitive-but-tough men and smart, noble, independent, strong-but-remarkably-attractive women is a Patterson forte. Some of the essentials of the romance, however--in particular, how the boy loses the girl and how he gets her back--are utterly contrived and lack the intelligent realism of other aspects of the story.

As with the other Patterson I read, this book has the welcome element of characters that seem to be drawn from real life (e.g., the Kennedys) and the depends-how-you-feel-about-it element of social commentary: spousal abuse is bad; abortion is a women's right but a sad occurence, and both sides in the political debate are too extreme.

So, when I finished the book and the plot and romance were resolved, I was left with the feeling of having consumed some empty calories. But they certainly tasted good and had enough redeeming attributes that I wouldn't even call it a guilty pleasure. Just a pleasure.

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Great book

I absolutely loved this book. I could not put it down.

reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

In the high-stakes, high-pressure world of presidential politics, where predators carry microphones and one misstep can savage a lifetime of achievement, Kerry Kilcannon is the rarest player of all. Kilcannon believes he can make the system work. And he just may die trying.

Driven by the violent nightmare of his childhood, fueled by forces that few could understand, and burdened by secrets no one must know, Kilcannon is running for President--and entering the crucial battleground of California with seven days to go. But for Kilcannon, there are hurdles that his courage, charisma, and compassion may not overcome: the network correspondent he still loves; the reporter bent on their exposure; the rival who'll do anything to win; and the fanatic who believes that he must murder Kilcannon to protect the right to life.

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