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    Balance of Power
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    Balance of Power
    Unavailable
    Balance of Power
    Audiobook23 hours

    Balance of Power

    Written by Richard North Patterson

    Narrated by Patricia Kalember

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Richard North Patterson's masterful portrayals of law and politics at the apex of power have made him one of our most important writers of popular fiction. Combining a compelling narrative, exhaustive research, and a sophisticated grasp of contemporary society, his bestselling novels bring explosive social problems to vivid life through characters who are richly imagined and intensely real. Now in Balance of Power Patterson confronts one of America's most inflammatory issues-the terrible toll of gun violence.

    President Kerry Kilcannon and his fiancée, television journalist Lara Costello, have at last decided to marry. But their wedding is followed by a massacre of innocents in a lethal burst of gunfire, challenging their marriage and his presidency in ways so shattering and indelibly personal that Kilcannon vows to eradicate gun violence and crush the most powerful lobby in Washington-the Sons of the Second Amendment (SSA).

    Allied with the President's most determined rival, the resourceful and relentless Senate Majority Leader Frank Fasano, the SSA declares all-out war on Kerry Kilcannon, deploying its arsenal of money, intimidation, and secret dealings to eviscerate Kilcannon's crusade-and, it hopes, destroy his presidency. This ignites a high-stakes game of politics and legal maneuvering in the Senate, the courtroom, and across the country, which the charismatic but untested young President is determined to win at any cost. But in the incendiary clash over gun violence and gun rights, the cost to both Kilcannons may be even higher than he imagined.

    And others in the crossfire may also pay the price: the idealistic lawyer who has taken on the gun industry; the embattled CEO of America's leading gun maker; the war-hero senator caught between conflicting ambitions; the female senator whose career is at risk; and the grief-stricken young woman fighting to emerge from the shadow of her sister, the First Lady.

    The insidious ways money corrodes democracy and corrupts elected officials . . . the visceral debate between gun-rights and gun-control advocates . . . the bitter legal conflict between gun companies and the victims of gun violence . . . a ratings-driven media that both manipulates and is manipulated-Richard North Patterson weaves these engrossing themes into an epic novel that moves us with its force, passion, and authority.


    From the Hardcover edition.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateOct 14, 2003
    ISBN9780739301326
    Unavailable
    Balance of Power
    Author

    Richard North Patterson

    Richard North Patterson is the author of over twenty bestselling and critically acclaimed novels. Formerly a trial lawyer, he was the SEC liaison to the Watergate special prosecutor and has served on the boards of several Washington advocacy groups. He lives in Martha's Vineyard, San Francisco, and Cabo San Lucas with his wife, Dr. Nancy Clair.

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    Reviews for Balance of Power

    3.5/5

    85 ratings3 reviews

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    • 3/5
      This one took me a while to read, mostly because I couldn't get myconcentration going because life kept getting in the way and also becausethis is one of those books that you have to pay close attention to frombeginning to end.It's a political novel, fiction, but acclaimed by folks like Bill Clintonand Ted Kennedy as being very close to the way things really get done inWashington. It was rather daunting to see that the first three pagesconsisted of a cast of characters. Trying to keep them all straight was areal chore until I got into the story enough to put personalities behind allthe names. This is a novel of gun violence and the mucky political watersthat surround trying to pass laws for gun control. I found some flaws in this book, not the least of which isthat there is just too damn many people in it to have to keep straight. Italso all takes place over the course of only a few months, and as we allknow, nothing happens that quickly in Washington. I was also fascinatedtrying to plug real politicos into the slots created by Patterson. It wasan interesting book, getting much more engrossing and gripping towards theend. And all of the loose ends weren't wrapped up neatly and tied with abow, which struck me as much more realistic than fictional.
    • 4/5
      Why didn't Clinton tackle the gun lobby - or indeed any US President before (or since?) with an ounce of sense? This book makes the reason crystal clear with its exploration of power and politics in America. The premise is clever: a President who has suffered from the actions of crazy killers with access to lethal weapons. Surely he, popular as he is, can at least limit the excesses of the gun toting brigade? Patterson shows why things are not as simple as they may appear - and does so with a long page turner. Well worth reading.
    • 5/5
      A Powerful Tale of AdvocacyBe prepared for the slow start; hang on for the strong finish. In Balance of Power, Richard North Patterson weaves a political tale of intrigue, guns, money, tort reform, backroom deals and ethically-challenged lawyers.Painstaking research, personal experience as a trial lawyer and a detailed understanding of the contemporary Washington scene arm the author with enough ammunition to create a compelling, believable tale of special-interests politics in Washington, D. C.Do not pick this novel up unless you are willing to experience the reasons our elected representatives often fail to legislate the general public’s bidding.