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Book Review of Balance of Power (Kerry Kilcannon, Bk 3)

Balance of Power (Kerry Kilcannon, Bk 3)
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My copy of this book is in pristine condition because I read very little of it. I've been reading Richard North Patterson since he started being published, but his set of three Kerry Kilcannon books left me cold. I think I finished the first one ("No Safe Place"), but may not have. I know I didn't finish the second ("Protect and Defend"), and I barely got into this one at all. All three books cover the candidacy and presidency of the fictional Kerry Kilcannon, whose political beliefs are totally at odds with my own. It's bad enough having a real live liberal loon in the White House who seems to be working hard to destroy the country I love; I just can't stomach spending the short time I have left on earth reading about a fictional one.

That being said, I have thoroughly enjoyed everything else Patterson has written. His prose is excellent, his characters lively, and his plots usually hold my interest.

I read enough of this book to see that Patterson was about nine years ahead of his time when he completed it in 2003, since the main focus of the book is gun violence and its aftermath. You've probably already guessed what my position is on gun control. Having spent over twenty years in the military, I have an deep and abiding respect for the policeman in uniform, but that doesn't change the fact that the job of the police is reactive - they show up after a crime has been committed and do their best to apprehend the doer. I believe that when it comes to my personal safety, I need to be proactive - I need to take some personal responsibility. 9/11 and the brave actions of the passengers on United Flight 93 taught me that. They didn't sit passively by waiting for an air marshal while the terrorists carried out their plans; they took some action.

Patterson says in an Afterword that this completes his Kerry Kilcannon trilogy; I couldn't be happier - maybe I'll be able to finish the next of his books I attempt.