Power Curve

With the sudden death of the president of the U.S., Madeleine (Maddy) O'Keith Turner, the first woman vice president, unexpectedly adds a more earth-shaking first to her name. Herman (Force of Eagles) surrounds his woman president with enemies both foreign and domestic. General Robert Bender, her reluctant military adviser, also finds himself between a rock and a hard place. Because of his new political role, he is no longer accepted by his military peers; and because of the president's antipathy to anything martial, he feels outnumbered in her cabinet. In the midst of the tension, China brings the world to the brink of world war with an attack on Japanese territories. Untested, Maddy must prove herself a world-class diplomat and expert in foreign affairs or face possible nuclear catastrophe. Fighting off bureaucratic and military enemies, General Bender tries to educate his commander in chief in global strategies. Meanwhile, Brigadier General David Martini, commanding troops in Okinawa, waits tensely for orders to deploy. Meanwhile, like a Persian cat scenting cream, Maddy's chief of staff, Patrick Shaw, prowls the White House, testing his own political wiles. Herman has created a convincing woman leader. President Turner is an intelligent, sympathetic character who grows stronger as she learns her job. Other major characters too, are more fully realized than in his previous military thrillers. Realistic and suspenseful, this is a timely and thought-provoking story. (May)