The Last Inauguration - Hardcover

Lichtman, Charles

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0811908704 ISBN 13: 9780811908702

Publisher: Frederick Fell, 1998

Synopsis

What if the world's most dangerous terrorist came up with a foolproof plan to kill not just the president, but all of the U.S. leadership as well?

About this title

About the Author

Educated at Indiana and DePaul Universities, Charles Lichtman is a business lawyer living in South Florida with his wife and two daughters. Having completed his debut novel, THE LAST INAUGURATION, he is currently at work on his second novel, "4." He is also the first person ever to be granted an interview with the infamous terrorist "Carlos the Jackal."

From the Inside Flap

THE LAST INAUGURATION 233 MARINES KILLED BY A BOMB ATTACK IN LEBANON! 243 PASSENGERS BLOWN OUT OF THE SKY OVER LOCKERBIE! TWO PEOPLE KILLED IN THE BOMBING OF THE WORLD TRADE CENTER IN NEW YORK CITY! A DEADLY ATTACK ON THE UNITED STATES' CAPITOL! TODAY'S HEADLINES PROVE THIS NOVEL MIGHT NOT BE FICTION. ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!

Dictator Saddam Hussein and the notorious terrorist, "Carlos the Jackal," join forces to plot the most heinous of schemes against their mortal enemies, the United States and Israel, sending a scaringly believable message about both the security loopholes in terrorist defense, and just how easily the delicate balance of the teetering Middle East peace process could falter.

Charles Lichtman's debut novel weaves a spellbinding tale of ruthless terrorism, capturing the intriguing tensions behind today's political realities. The action starts when a group of U.S. Marines attempts to assassinate Saddam Hussein, moves on to a murderous bombing attack at the United Nations' headquarters in Geneva, and finally climaxes during a dramatic showdown in Washington, D.C.

Only Norman Richards stands in the way of the legendary Carlos. Formerly one of the CIA's top field operatives, Richards quit the dirty works trade in exchange for a lucrative arms dealing career. However, his past catches up with him, forcing him to take on his most dangerous mission yet, tracking down Carlos and his trained assassins to prevent the most atrocious terrorist act ever devised. The only problem is he doesn't know what he is trying to stop, much less whom, when, or where. The odds are against him. Time is against him. Carlos is against him. "Unlike Jack Ryan, Tom Clancy's lockjawed ebermensch, Richards, for all his tough talking misplaced idealism, is a sensible, decent guy." (Kirkus Reviews)

Reviews

Routine antiterrorist high-tech thriller with a cooly complicated hero, well-researched settings, and frighteningly accurate knowledge of lethal technologies. What would suspense writers do without Saddam Hussein? Mad, bad, impossible to know, the mustachioed dictator has kept the tired genre alive. Here, Saddam, annoyed at yet another US-sponsored attempt on his life, pays Carlos the Jackal a king's ransom to wipe out everybody who's anybody in the American government by sabotaging the President's Inaugural Ball at the Kennedy Center. The first hundred or so pages follow the sly but oh-so-impolite Carlos as he navigates the mostly out-in-the-open world of international terrorism, blithely laundering money, staying in great hotels, smuggling great gobs of plastic explosives past bored customs personnel, and finding the right fanatics for the job. But just when Carlos seems to have his lethal ducks in a row, the CIA and Mossad stumble on the fact that's something's up and turn for help to renegade agent Norman Richards, an exCIA man earlier bounced out of the Company for having an active conscience. Though newcomer Lichtman seems more interested in exploring the mechanics of mayhem than animating any of his tissue-thin characters, the endlessly suffering, quietly restrained Richards is a winner. Unlike Jack Ryan, Tom Clancy's lock-jawed bermensch, Richards, for all his tough-talking and misplaced idealism, is a sensible, decent guy. As interesting as Richards is, though, he's reduced to little more than an action toy as Lichtman sends him on a series of pointless chases that culminate in a surprisingly convincing last-minute rescue of Washington's fatuous Beltway elite. Rigidly formulaic, and far too predictable, but Lichtman's by-the-numbers debut proves that he can do a big-boys-with-bad-toys tale and create a believable hero to hang it on. The suspense this time, though, is lackingyou end up feeling sorry for Saddam. (Author tour) -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Edition details

• Publisher: Frederick Fell
• Publication date: 1998
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0811908704
• ISBN 13: 9780811908702
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 448