Q. Clearance (Coronet Books) - Softcover

Peter Benchley

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0340402237 ISBN 13: 9780340402238

Publisher: Coronet Books, 1988

Synopsis

In this novel the author of Jaws reveals that he knows as much about the White House as he does about the a knowledge which is the 'special ingredient' in an irresistibly hilarious and suspenseful story.Timothy Burnham works – as Peter Benchley once did – as a speechwriter to the President. He has been in the same room as the great man, but only with a lot of other people, and he likes it that way – he is that rarity in Washington, a man with no appetite for power.By a quirk of bureaucracy Burnham is given Q Clearance, which means that every day he receives documents crammed with the highest atomic secrets of which he understands not a word, and which he has to shred every night.Big joke, thinks Burham – but he does not laugh when for unfathomable reasons he suddenly becomes the President's blue-eyed boy. That, he knows, is more than he can cope with – except that, exhilaratingly, the terrifying old man seems to bring out in Burnham more than Burnham knew was there.While this nerve-racking relationship is developing, Burnham meets a lovely blonde. It does not occur to him that a lovely blonde might show obvious interest in a man with Q Clearance, who enjoys the confidence of his President, for some reason other than their enjoyable compatibility.Add to this situation a White House cleaning lady from Bermuda who is desperate to procure for her son a certificate of graduation from high school; an enigmatic caterer whose past is known to nobody (or at least, to nobody in the United States); and several members of the President's Cabinet – figures who would be larger than life if they were not so devastatingly true to it – and you have a spy novel that is pure a wonderful balancing act between fidelity to a mind-boggling reality and a genius for entertainment.

About this title

From Library Journal

When Timothy Burnham, a minor White House speech writer, unexpectedly becomes the President's chief political confidant and all-round advisor he also receives the attention of the Soviets, who see him as a conduit to Oval Office secrets. Jolted out of a humdrum existence when his wife sends him packing, Burnham struggles to cope with his failing marriage, the demands of a garrulous President, and the charms of Eva Pym, an irresistible and unwilling Soviet agent. Author Benchley deploys his skillfully drawn characters in an intriguing plot using just the right amounts of suspense, action, and humor to provide a very readable and thoroughly entertaining spy thriller. Enthusiastically recommended for popular fiction collections. Brian Alley, Sangamon State Univ. Lib., Springfield, Ill.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Coronet Books
• Publication date: 1988
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0340402237
• ISBN 13: 9780340402238
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 384