When the U.S. is threatened from within, help comes from within in David Thomas Roberts’ political thriller featuring the Texas Rangers and their leader Pops Younger in a pitched war against the establishment.
In a generation or so from now, the U.S. has its first female president, Annabelle Bartlett, a politically savvy left-winger who has come to the office after the attempted impeachment of her predecessor, Tyrell Johnson. The impeachment proceedings and the dirty tricks that provoked it, cause a mighty stir in Texas. When several stalwart Texas heroes are murdered, a battle between the feds and the Texas Rangers heats up. The Rangers win. Secession is in the air, and it’s clear that President Bartlett will only make matters worse.
As Texas Ranger Commandant Pops Younger, a grizzled die-hard known for his Stetson hat, Wrangler denims, and handlebar mustache, often repeats, “Texans may forgive, but they don’t forget.” And sometimes, as in this case, if things go too far, they may not forgive either. In league with ex-Navy Seal and former CIA operative Zach Turner, Younger will trace the corruption he is sure he smells in the U.S. body politic all the way to the top.
Suspicious election tactics aside, President Bartlett is an intelligent adversary who chooses political gain over democratic functioning. When a conservative Supreme Court justice mysteriously drowns while on vacation to be replaced by a corrupt Bartlett appointee, straight talkers and straight shooter Younger and Turner have had enough. The ground will shift under Bartlett’s feet, and a significant defector from her ranks will make Younger’s case unshakeable.
Describing himself as a “serial entrepreneur,” Roberts offers a highly complicated plot that begins at the Viet Nam Memorial in Washington, D.C. and ends there, amidst the carnage that began in earnest when Bartlett took on the Texans.
Roberts’ twisted tale is filled with motifs that seem almost like the new normal in the current American political life: rumors of rigged elections, Russian involvement, a power-hungry leadership, and the failure of moderates to act for a just cause ─ all for the sake of staying in office.
Purge on the Potomac is the third book in The Patriot series by David Thomas Roberts, focusing on the grit and ethics of men like Younger and highlighting the dogged sense of independence that Texans, in general, seem to exude. A few glimpses of the characters’ private lives and tenderer feelings give emotional tone to this hard-edged and sometimes violent saga.
Owen Haskins is returning to his childhood home on fictional Cedar Island (which has an uncanny resemblance to Whidbey Island for those readers in the know) with his seven-year-old son Ian so they can have a new start. Ian has had trouble being bullied in his old school, and Owen is worried that new teacher, Faith Russell, may not be up to the job of helping his vulnerable son. Of course, Faith and Owen clash, while simultaneously being attracted to each other, but painful experiences in their past initially keep them from acting on their growing feelings for one another.
Homicide detective, Lieutenant Kyle Tanner, successfully captures the brutally sadistic serial killer known as The Reaper, whose modus operandi is to systematically dismember his victims while keeping them alive to suffer as long as possible. Tanner receives orders to transport The Reaper from Pluto, where he and his soul-mate Shaheen are stationed, to the CCF Home System where the killer will stand trial. Tanner, more dissatisfied than ever about the CCF contemplates a way out, a way to fall off the grid to start life anew on some distant outpost free from oppression and the totalitarian military regime of the CCF. At least, that’s the plan as soon as he and Shaheen complete their mission to deliver The Reaper to authorities in The Home System.
Sam had been a curious, resourceful child growing up in a family torn apart by a contentious past. At a very young age, he’d discovered a fascination with killing. Now almost an adult, he’s anxious to find his little sister who he’s sure is living somewhere with their mother. The mother who had abandoned him. Although he was young when they were separated, Sam remembers his sister well, including the cute green ribbons she always wore in her hair. Now author Kara Wolfe shows readers what Sam really thinks in As the Ribbons Fall.
An intractable and pampered debutante with plenty of pluck turns detective in Jennifer Kincheloe’s award-winning debut The Secret Life of Anna Blanc.