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Book Summary and Reviews of Capitol Betrayal by William Bernhardt

Capitol Betrayal by William Bernhardt

Capitol Betrayal

A Novel

by William Bernhardt

  • Critics' Consensus (0):
  • Published:
  • Mar 2010, 352 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

William Bernhardt’s bestselling novels explore politics, power, ambition, crime, and the law. Now he scales new heights of suspense as, in one harrowing day, lawyer and former senator Ben Kincaid enters the eye of an international storm, a crisis with consequences beyond calculation.

Kincaid is in a meeting with the president in the Oval Office when Washington suddenly explodes into chaos. Facing an imminent threat to the White House, Kincaid is whisked, along with the president and his advisors, to the underground PEOC—Presidential Emergency Operations Center—built to withstand a nuclear blast, but vulnerable to another kind of attack.

Inside the bunker, defense specialists realize that a malevolent foreign dictator has hacked into the U.S. nuclear defense system and now has a finger on the trigger of America’s most dangerous weapons. The dictator’s message is clear: Heed his demands or suffer unfathomable destruction.

Forced to make critical, split-second decisions, the president seems to be falling apart under the pressure. The vice president wants to strip him of his powers—a move that could have a disastrous impact on national defense. But even during this time of upheaval, in order for the president to be removed, there must be a trial. With the clock winding down, Kincaid has precious little time to defend the president.

While Kincaid faces the trial of his life, legendary CIA agent Seamus McKay races through the clogged streets of Washington, searching for a hidden command center—guarded by murderous fanatics—that now controls U.S. ballistic missiles.

Two sides of one unforgettable story, McKay and Kincaid home in on their targets. One uses a gun—and any weapon he can get his hands on; the other employs his intuition and the law. And in William Bernhardt’s spectacular thriller, as both move closer and closer to uncovering a world-shattering plot, the ultimate act of betrayal is launched from the heart of America’s capitol itself.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"At times the action borders on the silly, though series fans are unlikely to mind." - Publishers Weekly

"This installment of the Kincaid series is definitely for completists only." - Booklist

This information about Capitol Betrayal was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

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Author Information

William Bernhardt Author Biography

William Berhardt had his first novel published (by Ballantine, a division of Random House) when he was thirty-one. That year his first son, Harry, was born in August, and his first book, Primary Justice, was born in December. The book, introducing lawyer Ben Kincaid, surprised everyone. The follow-up, Blind Justice, did even better. He has been writing ever since. Bernhardt has written more than twenty novels, edited two anthologies, done two books for children, and published numerous stories, essays, puzzles, and poems. He has three children now.

Bernhardt also enjoys teaching, which has led to the William Bernhardt Writing Programs and The Fundamentals of Fiction DVDs, as well as many speaking and teaching engagements throughout the years. His interest in mentoring aspiring writers led ...

... Full Biography
Link to William Bernhardt's Website

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