Protect and Defend

Kerry Kilcannon #2

by Richard North Patterson

On a cold day in January President Kerry Kilcannon takes the oath of office-- and within days makes his first, most important move: appointing a new Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Kilcannon's choice is a female judge with a brilliant record. And a secret. While the Senate spars over Caroline Masters' nomination, an inflammatory abortion rights case is making its way toward the judge--and will explode into the headlines. Suddenly, the most divisive issue in America turns the President's nomination into all-out war. And from Judge Masters to a conservative, war-hero senator facing a crisis of conscience and a fifteen-year-old girl battling for her future, no one will be safe. Protect and Defend takes us on a riveting journey between what is legal, what is right . . . and the price of finally knowing the difference.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Politics, Legal Thriller, Crime, Novels

608 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published December 12, 2000

About the author

Richard North Patterson is the author of fourteen previous bestselling and critically acclaimed novels. Formerly a trial lawyer, Patterson served as the SEC’s liaison to the Watergate special prosecutor and has served on the boards of several Washington advocacy groups dealing with gun violence, political reform, and women’s rights. He lives in San Francisco and on Martha’s Vineyard.
Macmillan.com Author Profile

Awards
Edgar Award, 1980, Best First Novel for The Lasko Tangent

Grand Prix de Littérature Policière, International Award, 1995 for Degree of Guilt

http://us.macmillan.com/author/richar...

Reviews

[Dale Harcombe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four and a half stars.
This novel takes an issue which people usually have very definite views about and turns it into a highly readable story. The main characters are Mary Ann Tierney who is fifteen and pregnant. For reasons that become clear as the book moves forward, Mary Ann wants a partial birth abortion. Opposing her desire for this are her parents, who are outspoken advocates against abortion under any circumstances. The situation ends up as a court battle, with Mary Ann and her lawyer Sarah against Mary Ann’s parents. Into the mix add the newly appointed president Kerry Kilcannon and his candidate for Chief Justice, Caroline Masters plus senators from the opposing political party and particularly Senator Chad Palmer. Each of these three have dangerous secrets in their past. This story highlights the way politicians and their families lives are delved into, to expose their deepest secrets, regardless of the hurt to any concerned. And there is plenty of that.
The characters are complex and well-drawn. They show people of principle and also those who will use whatever means at their disposal, even if it has disastrous consequences to undermine another person. And it is not only the guilty who suffer and pay the price. I found this a riveting though not a quick read. One reason it was not a quick read is it is a hefty book and the issues need to be carefully considered. Sometimes the description of events are graphic and I had to put the book down for a book. But then I also had to pick it back up again. The f word is peppered throughout and I admit to not always understanding exactly how the American political system works. Those points aside, this is a book worth reading. It is a book that will make you think. Will it change your opinion on issues? Maybe or maybe not. But it will cause you to think about them in depth. I recommend giving this book a read.

[Wes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book back in 2004. The subject is partial-birth abortion and it does a great job of bringing the point-of-view from all sides -- and no side is looked at frivilously. Because of this, I changed my view on the subject -- a very rare feat for a work of fiction to accomplish. The main characters (the ones you'll care about) are well thought out and the plot always moves forward, but by the end, it's all boiled down to the main point: Who gets to decide. I highly recommend it.

[Eric_W · Rating 4 out of 5]

If this work is characteristic, Patterson writes very literate mystery/thriller novels that take a public issue and dissect it from multiple viewpoints. Protect and Defend has been described by one reviewer as the most accurate portrayal of the Washington political scene. The issue is abortion, specifically fifteen year- ld Mary Anne Tierney’s struggle to abort late-term a severely hydrocephalic, brainless, and otherwise deformed and defective fetus. A normal birth has been deemed impossible and she worries that a Caesarian, as often happens, will prevent her being able to have children later. Her family are vigorously antiabortion under any circumstance Her father is a brilliant law professor and he is pitted against her in the courtroom as the legal representative of the unborn child. A subplot is the political struggle to have a new chief justice confirmed. The recently elected president, Kerry Kilcannon, introduced in a previous book of Patterson’s, No Safe Place, chooses to nominate Caroline Masters (Patterson’s The Final Judgment). There are allusions to events that take place in both of these earlier works, neither of which I have read — the stack grows ever skyward. Kilcannon and Masters are both very strong, principled characters, who, nevertheless, have skeletons in the closet that provide a most interesting backdrop for an examination of ethical dilemmas. The centerpiece is the sensational, nationally televised trial that pits Mary Anne against her family and becomes an issue in the Masters nomination. Mary Anne’s attorney is a young lawyer who wants to overturn a recently passed law that requires parental consent for abortions. Patterson excels at presenting all sides of an issue quite objectively, and it’s often difficult not to sympathize with all the parties in this difficult case.

Patterson’s an attorney who knows the law, and his novel reflects considerable research. The book could almost be a primer on abortion law and how it has evolved uniquely in this country — it’s hardly an issue in most other countries. It’s also a lesson in how politics is conducted. He talked with both Clinton and Senator Dole about how they would promote or try to defeat a Supreme Court nominee, and he relates that the strategies he learned from these two politically astute people were mesmerizing.

Clearly, Patterson understands the different threads of belief that go into making the conflict so bitter in this country: the patriarchal strain in fundamentalist religion that suggests that women must play a secondary role in the home, making reproduction a male prerogative; a negative cultural response to the perceived licentiousness of the much maligned sixties; and the genuine and respectable view against abortion that relates to the devaluation of life. A difficulty has been for the pro-life movement to define death. According to Patterson, they have been unable to resolve the distinction between biological death and brain death. The Pope, ironically, has accepted brain death as a sign that life is gone, but he has been unable to accept that no brain, i.e., no cerebral cortex formation may be the same thing. For an excellent discussion of the distinction between life and being a human being, I recommend The Facts of Life: Science and the Abortion Controversy Patterson deliberately chose to write about a partial-birth abortion because he felt the moral and ethical issues can be brought more clearly into focus. He noted in a television interview on C-Span-2 that “partial-birth” is not a medical concept. It’s a political term that has been used to redefine what abortion means. The book also deals with the relationships within families. “People project their own supposed loveliness as parents on the world at large, and their reaction is terribly personal: ‘I’m a good parent and I would want to be involved,” What they don't stop to consider is that first, if they’re in a functioning family, chances are really good their daughter isn't going to require an Act of Congress to talk to them about this. Second, we may be lovely parents, but what about incestuous families, abusive families, alcoholic families, families where the kid is used as a bone of contention between parents who are at war? All sorts of things which mean that in a given case, you’re either going to get a delay or perhaps a baby out of it, because the minor ultimately doesn’t know what to do. Or, in the worst case, death, either from illegal abortion or because of some act of family violence which is triggered by the exposure of the father’s sexual abuse of the daughter.” This is a fascinating book.

[sncottle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book but I can't help but think that it would have been so much more gripping if the author had lectured a little less. In both the parts about the trial and the confirmation proceedings I felt as though he belabored the various viewpoints (pro-choices vs. pro-life...democrats vs. republicans) until it wasn't as fun anymore.

[Sherrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was written in 2000. The best--and the worst--thing about it is that it could have been written yesterday. Same problems, same non-solutions. If anything, the political scene has degenerated: very recently, a Supreme Court nominee never made it to a hearing, which is presented in this book as stepping over the line.
Well written, good book. But not something to inspire optimism.

[Marcelino · Rating 3 out of 5]

My mom bought me this book because she taught it had an interesting name (that was almost two years ago) so i decided to pick it up because she always asked if i had read the book jajajajaja. I love her.

Anywaysssss i just realized that this book was the second book in a trilogy jajajajaja.

The plot was interesting and original. I really like how everything in the USA goverment was shown (or at least I think was shown, because I obviously don't know a thing about it) how everthing works: the laws, the president, the senators, the money, the influences, you know what I mean.

I don't have that much to say because the plot was about abortion and even though i support the thing i dont know much about it and i dont want to upset anyone who actually does know about it by saying something stupid.

i think everyone should read this book, it makes you think in what's really wrong with several subjects.

(sorry for my english, i'm not as good as i'd like but i'm trying to improve it everyday)

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoy books by Richard North Patterson - interesting discussions on issues that I think about in the context of a beach/plane read. Long enough that there is room to present some of the details about the process/issue under discussion; simplistic characters so that I can pay attention to the issues and not have too many details to keep track of and enough of a story to keep me interested.

Protect and Defend discusses two issues - late term abortions and confirmation of supreme court justices and some of the things (lobbying, press, differing priorities) that make resolution of these issues even more difficult.

[Kitty · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading this book, a book club choice, I thought the subject matter to be so spot on and timely. Having never read a book by this author and then checking his bio, I was impressed.
This is a stand alone novel and the reader does not have to read book #1 to get into book #2.
While liking the book, I did feel it could use some editing and snipping of parts that were repeated. I don't think I will be staying in touch with Kerry Kilcannon. But book makes for a good discussion. Who does not have a strong opinion about politics and their belief in what God wants? This book makes the reader put a face on the problem and that is surly its strong point.

[Martha A. McCarthy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Things Haven't Changed

It is so unfortunate to realize that we have not learned a thing in the roughly 20 years since this book was written. We remain as divided as the country was in this book. Richard North Patterson is a favorite author. This story was mesmerizing as the myriad of points of view were explored. I highly recommend this book.

[Arlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Been a while since I read about politics and what it does to people. Sometimes political ambitions destroy families.

And I do agree, politics is dirty.

[Robyn Moore · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not an easy read. The American political system takes centre stage and the obvious in depth research to show the workings of the US Senate was somewhat boring to this non US citizen. Sadly, the novel reveals how politics and the personal need to win at all costs can override privacy and decency.

[Mj · Rating 5 out of 5]

Protect and Defend is a great political thriller.

It is the second book in Richard North Patterson’s Kerry Kilcannon series and while I enjoy any well written mystery or thriller, those with political overtones and settings like Protect and Defend are my favourite. Richard North Patterson demonstrates a wonderful ability to develop character and plot while at the same time being relevant, educating readers and making them think. This work of fiction is as full of information as you might find in a book categorized as non-fiction.

Kerry Kilcannon is a newly elected President of the United States of Irish background. He’s an excellent orator, politically astute and highly motivated to address issues close to his heart and core belief system. He is kind and yet sometimes incredibly cold and calculating and seems willing to do whatever it takes to achieve his agenda, well intentioned though he may be. His motto seems to be that it is only the result that counts and it does not matter how you achieve it.

What I like about Richard North Patterson’s writing in this particular series is that he uses each book to discuss current and relevant political issues. In Protect and Defend, there is a lot of discussion about abortion and the rights of young adults and teens versus parents’ rights given to them through parental consent legislation. There is also much discussion about late term abortions. There is a strong right-to-life element discussed as well as the opposing position of a woman/girl’s right to choose. Patterson is thorough and provides a perspective from each viewpoint. He does a masterful job of juxtaposing the conflicting views, each view rooted in the unwavering belief of being right.

Patterson’s research on abortion from both a medical and legal perspective seems impeccable. One reviewer on Amazon.com suggested that reading this book was the equivalent to taking a college course on the subject and I quote “I am a 65 year old Gynecologist……As a close observer of the political scene for the past 50 years and one with an extensive and hard won knowledge of the abortion issue and its advocates on both sides, this book is a like a college course in current American political life and mores as well as the highly complex and agonizing partial birth abortion controversy.” My own perspective is from a non-medical vantage point. I found the book to be jam packed with information, comprehensive and easily understood. Quite amazing considering the book is a work of fiction. Despite all the information, it was well balanced and because it was provided as part of an exciting and suspenseful plot line, Patterson kept my interest throughout.

Another major topic in the book is the appointment of a new Chief of Justice of the Supreme Court. Shortly after taking office as President, Kilcannon presents his recommendation to the Senate for approval - Caroline Masters, an appeals court judge with an impeccable reputation. In the interim Masters is required to make a decision on an abortion case before the courts. Her decision could be very polarizing and will have a great deal of impact on the Senators’ approval. We learn that politics is very partisan in a two party system (Democrats versus Republicans) unlike a multi-party system where more collaboration is often required and compromise more likely to occur. In Protect and Defend, there is definite conflict between the two parties and a lot of power mongering going on. Political chicanery is abundant and choices are seemingly being made for political advantage rather than considering whether the right choice is being made.

Patterson seems to have a very realistic handle on how government works in a two party system and a two chamber government – the house of representatives and the senate – and not just what the public gets to see, hear or read about in various media. Patterson also takes us behind the scenes where the trench war fare, lobbying, favours, bribes and threats take place. It is rather disconcerting to read how things really happen but nonetheless, Patterson’s plot seems very credible - once again due to his in depth research and subject knowledge.

When you take great research, controversial and current public topics and add Patterson’s flare for plot to the mix – the result is an incredible read. The tension is high, there is mystery that keeps building, there are personal stories and closets uncovered and all the while the back room boys (some girls) are twisting arms and going for the jugular to make sure that the President will have his selection of Carolyn Masters approved for Chief Justice.

It’s unfortunate that things might really work this way but it sure makes for great reading. 5 Stars for a great political thriller.

[Nineveh · Rating 4 out of 5]

1) The entire time I read this book I could not remember the title for the life of me, and just had to triple check the cover to remember it now
2) It’s funny to me that a fictional political story could be 600 pages long and yet somehow the entire time the president never seems to be busy with anything else other than the supreme court nomination
3) This was a weird read for me because I don’t read political fiction, I only ever watch it on TV, and so I would say this read like a season of a political drama. Especially so in that not much happens outside of dialogue, since the view point switches too often for introspection to be a central aspect of this book

[Roger · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Note: I had previously decided not to go back and rate books here that I had read long ago, but having just reviewed RNP's recent Fall from Grace, I felt the need to counter-balance it with a summary of one of my favorite books of his. What follows comes from a review I submitted to my college's alumni cyber-bookclub soon after this book was published.)

...Even though it is still a relatively new book, it was fairly easy for me to obtain a copy from the library. This must say something about my (then) current residence in Colorado Springs, home of Focus on the Family, Colorado for Family Values, et. al. But living here, after growing up in northern Ohio, also made it fairly easy for me to connect with this book: one of the central characters, Senator Chad Palmer, was raised in a suburb of Cleveland, and then was a senior cadet at the Air Force Academy when he met Allie, a freshman at Colorado College who would later become his wife. I was also familiar with two other major players in the story - President Kerry Kilcannon and Judge Caroline Masters - from their roles in earlier works by Patterson, whose books I have looked forward to ever since reading Degree of Guilt...

It has always been characters such as these that have drawn me into Patterson's stories. Honorable yet vulnerable, complex and flawed, they struggle as they test the very rough waters of the monumental challenges before them: a 15-year-old girl in search of an abortion against her parents' wishes; the young lawyer representing her as they challenge a federal parental consent law; a youthful president whose first obligation is to appoint a new chief justice to a sharply divided supreme court. But one thing about Patterson's characters: they are rarely deceptive. The reader always knows where they stand regarding the issues and difficulties they confront, which in this sweeping novel are many: late-term abortion, campaign financing, judicial nomination, media intrusion and exploitation, and more. Of course, it is also obvious on which side of the fence Patterson sits with respect to these themes, but he has still managed to weave them all together into a compelling story that is as much about the secrets we keep and the extremely high price that is often paid for them as it is about such questions as the weight that should be given to the will and the health of the mother. Here are just a few of the many other questions raised by Patterson:

*Should localities that tend to have more restrictive laws preserving the life of the unborn also have more policies in place that support the mother and child after birth takes place? What about religious advocacy for laws that only value life until it is born?

*Where should the line be drawn around the places that government just doesn't belong? If a court has the power to order a minor to deliver a severely defective fetus, at whatever risk to the mother, does it also have the authority to order her to abort one?

This well-researched book didn't change my mind about any of these questions, but it did present some enlightening new ideas and arguments on both sides of the issues that I had not considered before, which helped me clarify my position on things. For that reason alone I am glad I read the book, and I'd definitely recommend it to others. I also enjoyed Patterson's occasional injections of humor and sarcasm that would lighten up what could otherwise have been a very long, deep, and intense ride. For example, one of my favorites from judge Caroline Masters: "Judges are the opposite of politicians: we're real people who pretend not to be."

This was one of those books that I never wanted to end. It was not the kind of book that I couldn't put down; conversely, I often did want to put it down, just to ponder the situation and feel the emotions. Now that it has ended, I still want to know how Mary Ann Tierney gets on with her family. I still want to know if Sarah Dash finds continued success. I want to know if Chad and Allie Palmer are able to move beyond their troubles. And I want to know if Kerry Kilcannon and Caroline Masters solve all the problems of the world! I suspect - and hope - that we will hear more from some of these characters in the future.

Now I think I'd like to go back a read this one again, eleven years later, just to see if my feelings have changed...

[Jane J. Janas, Ph.D. · Rating 3 out of 5]

On a cold day in January President Kerry Kilcannon takes the oath of office-- and within days makes his first, most important move: appointing a new Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Kilcannon's choice is a female judge with a brilliant record. And a secret. While the Senate spars over Caroline Masters' nomination, an inflammatory abortion rights case is making its way toward the judge--and will explode into the headlines. Suddenly, the most divisive issue in America turns the President's nomination into all-out war. And from Judge Masters to a conservative, war-hero senator facing a crisis of conscience and a fifteen-year-old girl battling for her future, no one will be safe. Protect and Defend takes us on a riveting journey between what is legal, what is right . . . and the price of finally knowing the difference.
This novel takes an issue which people usually have very definite views about and turns it into a highly readable story. The main characters are Mary Ann Tierney who is fifteen and pregnant. For reasons that become clear as the book moves forward, Mary Ann wants a partial birth abortion. Opposing her desire for this are her parents, who are outspoken advocates against abortion under any circumstances. The situation ends up as a court battle, with Mary Ann and her lawyer Sarah against Mary Ann’s parents. Into the mix add the newly appointed president Kerry Kilcannon and his candidate for Chief Justice, Caroline Masters plus senators from the opposing political party and particularly Senator Chad Palmer. Each of these three have dangerous secrets in their past. This story highlights the way politicians and their families lives are delved into, to expose their deepest secrets, regardless of the hurt to any concerned. And there is plenty of that.
The characters are complex and well-drawn. They show people of principle and also those who will use whatever means at their disposal, even if it has disastrous consequences to undermine another person. And it is not only the guilty who suffer and pay the price. I found this a riveting though not a quick read. One reason it was not a quick read is it is a hefty book and the issues need to be carefully considered. Sometimes the description of events are graphic and I had to put the book down for a book. But then I also had to pick it back up again. The f word is peppered throughout and I admit to not always understanding exactly how the American political system works. Those points aside, this is a book worth reading. It is a book that will make you think. Will it change your opinion on issues? Maybe or maybe not. But it will cause you to think about them in depth. I recommend giving this book a read.
If this work is characteristic, Patterson writes very literate mystery/thriller novels that take a public issue and dissect it from multiple viewpoints. Protect and Defend has been described by one reviewer as the most accurate portrayal of the Washington political scene. The issue is abortion, specifically fifteen year- ld Mary Anne Tierney’s struggle to abort late-term a severely hydrocephalic, brainless, and otherwise deformed and defective fetus. A normal birth has been deemed impossible and she worries that a Caesarian, as often happens, will prevent her being able to have children later. Her family are vigorously antiabortion under any circumstance Her father is a brilliant law professor and he is pitted against her in the courtroom as the legal representative of the unborn child. A subplot is the political struggle to have a new chief justice confirmed. The recently elected president, Kerry Kilcannon, introduced in a previous book of Patterson’s, No Safe Place, chooses to nominate Caroline Masters (Patterson’s The Final Judgment). There are allusions to events that take place in both of these earlier works, neither of which I have read — the stack grows ever skyward. Kilcannon and Masters are both very strong, principled characters, who, nevertheless, have skeletons in the closet that provide a most interesting backdrop for an examination of ethical dilemmas. The centerpiece is the sensational, nationally televised trial that pits Mary Anne against her family and becomes an issue in the Masters nomination. Mary Anne’s attorney is a young lawyer who wants to overturn a recently passed law that requires parental consent for abortions. Patterson excels at presenting all sides of an issue quite objectively, and it’s often difficult not to sympathize with all the parties in this difficult case.
Patterson’s an attorney who knows the law, and his novel reflects considerable research. The book could almost be a primer on abortion law and how it has evolved uniquely in this country — it’s hardly an issue in most other countries. It’s also a lesson in how politics is conducted. He talked with both Clinton and Senator Dole about how they would promote or try to defeat a Supreme Court nominee, and he relates that the strategies he learned from these two politically astute people were mesmerizing.
Clearly, Patterson understands the different threads of belief that go into making the conflict so bitter in this country: the patriarchal strain in fundamentalist religion that suggests that women must play a secondary role in the home, making reproduction a male prerogative; a negative cultural response to the perceived licentiousness of the much maligned sixties; and the genuine and respectable view against abortion that relates to the devaluation of life. A difficulty has been for the pro-life movement to define death. According to Patterson, they have been unable to resolve the distinction between biological death and brain death. The Pope, ironically, has accepted brain death as a sign that life is gone, but he has been unable to accept that no brain, i.e., no cerebral cortex formation may be the same thing. For an excellent discussion of the distinction between life and being a human being, I recommend The Facts of Life: Science and the Abortion Controversy Patterson deliberately chose to write about a partial-birth abortion because he felt the moral and ethical issues can be brought more clearly into focus. He noted in a television interview on C-Span-2 that “partial-birth” is not a medical concept. It’s a political term that has been used to redefine what abortion means. The book also deals with the relationships within families. “People project their own supposed loveliness as parents on the world at large, and their reaction is terribly personal: ‘I’m a good parent and I would want to be involved,” What they don't stop to consider is that first, if they’re in a functioning family, chances are really good their daughter isn't going to require an Act of Congress to talk to them about this. Second, we may be lovely parents, but what about incestuous families, abusive families, alcoholic families, families where the kid is used as a bone of contention between parents who are at war? All sorts of things which mean that in a given case, you’re either going to get a delay or perhaps a baby out of it, because the minor ultimately doesn’t know what to do. Or, in the worst case, death, either from illegal abortion or because of some act of family violence which is triggered by the exposure of the father’s sexual abuse of the daughter.” This is a fascinating book.

[Marilyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was another awesome book. This book explores politics in D.C., the law that was instituted by Congress to protect a minor from abortion (Protection of Life Act), ALL of the abortion issues (I didn't know there were so many!), the delicacies (and wars) of selecting a judge, the battle of the Democrats vs the Republicans in the Senate, and the corruption around special interests using money to get their way in government, among other things. Now that all sounds very boring, but...intertwined into a novel about a 15 year old girl who is pregnant with a hydroencephalic fetus, and a dad and mom who are (adamantly) pro-life... she takes Congress to court over the unconstitutionality of the Act, and her dad goes against her defending the fetus (!!). Talk about a house divided against itself! This is one loaded book, written by a lawyer who knows how it all works, and did an excellent job of research on that which he didn't know. As the excerpt says... "The difference between what is legal and what is right."

[Jeanette (Ms. Feisty) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this sounded familiar when Erin put it on her page. So I was looking at it yesterday at the library, and sure enough, it's one I've read. I agree with Erin's rating. This might even be worth a re-read one of these days.

[Amanda Patterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best political / legal thriller writers anywhere.North Patterson asks difficult questions and he doesn't allow his characters to get away with easy answers.

[Ed · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring plot. Boring characters. Boring dialogue. Boring writing. Out of date. Got about 150 pages in which was a waste of time.

[Lora Shouse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Protect and Defend is part of a series featuring Kerry Kilcannon. In the first book of the series, Kilcannon, then a senator, won a hard-fought election and became President. Protect and Defend opens with his inauguration, which is made more exciting when the stodgy old Chief Justice suffers a heart attack shortly after administering the oath of office. Unexpectedly, Kilcannon is confronted with the welcome but difficult prospect of selecting a new Chief Justice for the Supreme Court.

Much of the book, though, is taken up with a court case on abortion involving a fifteen-year-old girl whose parents don’t believe in abortion but whose baby has been diagnosed with a condition that is not only life-threatening for the child, but also dangerous to the mother’s ability to bear future children. The girl’s lawyer was formerly a clerk for Kilcannon’s top pick for Chief Justice.

This book sharply highlights why the original Roe vs. Wade decision permitting abortions turned on the issue of privacy. It seems that everybody involved in this case even remotely has some sort of issue relating to abortion that they want to be kept quiet. President Kilcannon’s fianceé had an abortion years earlier. The Supreme Court nominee decided not to have an abortion years ago, and in consequence, has a daughter who has been raised by her half-sister as her niece. Even the parties to the current controversial case, who have reluctantly decided to fight their differences out in open court very much in the public spotlight (which is made worse by political operatives stirring up violence against them) find that they can’t so much as go home without being harassed by a hostile mob, or at least a flock of reporters. This is especially true of the girl herself and her lawyer.

The current court case and the Supreme Court nomination should not be more than distantly related, but the people wishing to control the country and bring down the President go out of their way to link them during confirmation hearings. There are betrayals and revelations made all over the place, even among people who oughtn’t to be related to the case at all, and one young lady dies as a result of the political wrangling.

Even though this book is several years old, recent events make it still relevant today.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me awhile to get through this book. It wasn’t that it didn’t have a good story. It was weighed down with so much law. I was very interested in the topic, but I would get on overload and have to take frequent breaks to digest what I had read. I also lost the book for awhile. It was under my bed!

Kerry Kilcannon has just been sworn in as President of the United States. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court drops dead at one of many ceremonies, so first order of business is to nominate a new Chief Justice. With a newly-passed abortion law that makes for a political hotbed for the nomination, Kilcannon has to tread lightly. Enter 15-year-old Mary Ann Tierney who is pregnant with a baby that has been diagnosed as severely brain-damaged, if not missing most of his brain altogether. Her devout Catholic parents are adamantly opposed to an abortion under any circumstances. Mary Ann is drawing close to the final trimester of her pregnancy, so things are really in a sticky wicket, but she is determined to have an abortion. Her father is a law-school professor, so he uses every legal Avenue he can find; however, Mary Ann leaves her home and moves in with her reluctant attorney Sarah Dash. She will not be deterred.

The political machinations in Washington are far too complicated to mention here. What’s the connection between Mary Ann and the nomination of the judge? Sarah Dash clerked for Caroline Masters, Kilcannon’s nomination for Chief Justice. Inward and upward! So many secrets were kept hidden for so long, but a political center-stage position brings them all to light eventually. There are a few diabolical senators that made me want to do fix their wagons, but there were fine, upstanding political figures that reassured me that I know good people are out there.

This book is about abortion and all the legal ramifications involved. It’s about the pain caused on both side of the fence. Patterson never fails to write to the heart while keeping you up half the night at the same time.

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up on holiday at a leave one/take one shelf. Political thrillers aren't my usual cup of tea but this is a well constructed look at late stage abortion in the context of a partisan divide in the US.

It weaves together a large (variably developed) cast through multiple threads with themes of privacy vs public interest, the risk of turning ethical debates into political power-moves and divides, the power of big money in politics and the risk of raking through the past to take down someone's character. The abortion side of things tries to offer a slightly balanced view but obviously comes down one side and is handled well. It makes for a surprisingly visceral tale for a doorstop of a book.

Sadly, 13 yrs down the line (reading this just after Trump's attempt at a coup and insurrection in the Capitol), things have only got worse in US politics. A return to decency and the art of discourse is something to aspire to.

One completely unrelated point - I was initially interested in this due to the Stephen King cover quote, so near the end when one of the characters mentions reading the latest Stephen King book, it pulled me out of the story. Completely irrelevant but there you go.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this book from a huge used book sale last year...it was one of those sales where there are so many people that you don't really have the luxury of getting a good grasp of what a book is about. At a glance, I thought it sounded interesting and at $2.00, I wasn't really loosing anything, so I bought it. I'm not very good in summarizing books I've read, but I can say, this was a surprising 4 star read for me. In a nut-shell, the subject matter was about a teenage girl who was pregnant with a hydrocephalic baby and she was seeking an abortion that her parents wouldn't approve for her. (I am personally familiar with hydrocephalic babies as someone I know gave birth to a hydrocephalic child...the baby died a few hours after birth.) To Protect and Defend is a story that tells of a daughter's tangled journey through the legal system in order to obtain an abortion. The story involved a newly elected president who must nominate a new Supreme Court Chief Justice who had unexpectedly died on election day. The author's writing style was so good. While this was a hard book to read at times, I'm so glad that I did read it.

[Marie Lutz · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was only able to get through this book by skimming and skipping most of it. The novel was repetitious and preachy. The characters were not believable. I’m a strong advocate for a woman’s right to choose an abortion. I cried when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade. But I read fiction to be entertained not to be lectured on a subject I know a lot about.

Abortion rights do not get a fair hearing in this book which advocates for a 15-year-old girl to be able to choose a late term abortion to avoid the 5% possibility she might become infertile if she goes to term. What if her child does not have part of his brain missing, a remote, but possible outcome? How would this immature girl (all 15 year olds are immature by definition) live with that? A mature woman could make a more informed decision. Anyway, this particular girl’s plight is not the essence of the right to have an abortion.

In brief, the political and moral fight for abortion rights are not presented in an entertaining or convincing way in this overlong novel.

[Andrew Langert · Rating 4 out of 5]

RNP is such an excellent writer. He also thoroughly researched the complex subjects covered in this novel, making everything go on in it so realistic and credible.
I had just finished reading the first book in the Kerry Kilcannon series and was excited about reading this, the second in the series. I was somewhat disappointed that this book does not feature Kerry Kilcannon, as the new POTUS, as much as I hoped and expected. Instead, the plot revolves around two events that eventually became related. First was the story of a 15-year-old girl seeking an abortion of a child that had little chance of surviving birth because of severe birth defects. The other is the decision by Kilcannon to nominate Caroline Masters to became the new Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. The two events become related when Masters ends up needing to rule on the case involving the potential teenage abortion.
This is a long book. The subject matter is quite heavy, not very uplifting. The main characters, however, are quite admirable and inspiring. This is a very fine piece of work, still relevant today.

[Frederick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Patterson has done it again; this is an excellent novel! Within minutes of swearing in a new President the Chief Justice lies dead on the dais. The SCOTUS is evenly divided so the President's choice of a new chief becomes all important. His nominee for the post, a judge who currently serves on the court of appeals, becomes caught up in a case involving a 15 year old girl who is pregnant with a severely deformed fetus. Her parents refuse give their consent to an abortion so she takes them to court with the help of the nominee's former law clerk. The author's descriptions of the legal and political drama that unfolds are realistic and compelling. I read this book within weeks of the Supreme Court's decision to strike down Roe vs. Wade, a landmark decision on abortion that had been settled law for almost 50 years. That decision made Patterson's writing about the abortion issue even more interesting and unsettling.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5. Great combination of politics and legal topics. Not perfect, but I thought that it was comparable to Advise and Consent at points. The conflict/events were more believable than its predecessor No Safe Place.

While this was possibly the Patterson I enjoyed the most, it does suffer from the same flaws as all of his other books (most prominently that his male protagonist is almost exactly the same as all the others). I got the impression that the ending was somewhat rushed as well.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dos historias principales se entrelazan en el libro: un juicio sobre el aborto tardío para determinar si el Acta de Protección de la Vida es o no constitucional y un entramado político donde el presidente de Estados Unidos, senadores y jueces del Tribunal Supremo actúan como personajes.
En la novela se tocan temas interesantes y difíciles como el derecho a la intimidad, la ética y la moral, el papel de los grupos de presión (con todos sus millones de dólares) sobre la política actual, etcétera.
Por momentos la historia se me ha hecho algo pesada, como un pájaro demasiado gordo incapaz de alzar el vuelo. En mi opinión le sobran páginas y le falta algo de frescura, pero aún así es un libro que recomiendo para todo el que disfrute con las intrigas políticas.

[Shelly Spiller · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading this book, alot that is going on in our government makes sense. The game playing and how our country is sold out to special interest groups...... and it happens on both sides.

I digress, on this site I learned that this is part 2 to the Kerry Kilcannon series. Kerry Kilcannon is the President of the United States, often battles his desires to be a better person or get involved with playing the game. His choice to defend a 15 year old girl and his nomination for Supreme Court Justice leads to a political battle that rocks the nation.

Goo characters and I did like this book enough to follow through and read other books to see where Kerry's Kilcannon beliefs take him.

[Susan Dennis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I generally don't list books here that I don't like. Usually, I don't finish them. But, I kept reading this one thinking it would get better. It has such unfulfilled promise. The fresh, new, Democratic President is being sworn in by the very old and very conservative Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. As soon as the swearing in is over, the Chief Justice drops dead. The new president's first job is to find a replacement who will, of course, be the swing vote on the court. So much could have been made out of this story. And, even though, for me, the fatter the book the better, this sucker could have been told in less than half the pages used.