A top secret FBI file is missing. Code named "Prodigy," the file was the genius of J. Edgar Hoover, who created it to use against his political enemies -- which included everyone in Washington from JFK to this year's presidential candidate, Jack Hallorin. The unlucky grad student who uncovered it is dead, and now his girlfriend is on the run, accused of murder.
Mark Beamon -- the only man everyone agrees can find the young woman and the explosive document -- has been suspended by the FBI and is fighting a legal battle to keep himself out of jail. He knows better than anyone that this case is his last shot to save his career -- and his country.
Tracking her down will be the most demanding case Beamon's ever faced, for the young woman is a world-class rock climber who can drop out of sight anywhere in the world. But even if he does find her and the file, who can he trust when the FBI itself is under suspicion?
From Publishers Weekly
The race is on when a law school dropout unearths an explosive FBI file that catalogues the tawdry indiscretions of several leading politicians, including the Republican presidential nominee. Soon the student's mutilated body is found in the van of his ex-girlfriend, a world-class rock climber. As suspicion is thrown on the elusive girl, Mark Beamon, a suspended FBI agent whose career is hanging by a thread, is brought in by an anonymous party to track her down. Also in pursuit is third-party presidential candidate David Hallorin, a megalomaniac whose pockets are as deep as his determination to achieve his own political ends. Actor Shea defines the individual characters well, from nasal underlings to booming politicians to classically sardonic agents. The abridgement causes some unpolished transitions, and listeners may be surprised to find characters extricated from dicey situations with a flip of the tape, but mostly they will enjoy this quality production of a classy and well-plotted political thriller. Based on the HarperCollins hardcover (Forecasts, Mar. 6). (Apr.) Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
In Mills's third political thriller featuring FBI agent Mark Beamon, the presidential campaign season is complicating Mark's life in more ways than he knows. Because of the leak of incriminating tapes Mark found, politicians on all sides are out for his blood. Faced with a legal battle that he can't afford, Mark reluctantly agrees to an offer of $300,000 to find mountain climber Darby Moore, whose ex-boyfriend was found brutally murdered. A suspect in his death who finds herself in possession of an FBI file that incriminates one of the three presidential candidates, Darby goes into hiding. Mark knows that any of the three would kill to gain possession of the file. The suspense generated by the hunt and the political battle is immense. Unlike many other authors, Mills has not fallen into the trap of writing a story that is only suited for a movie screen; there are no cookie-cutter characters or inexplicable action scenes. Instead, Mills, like David Baldacci, knows that a great story comes first (and then, one hopes, a great movie). Recommended for all collections. -Jane Jorgenson, Madison P.L., WI Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Description:
A top secret FBI file is missing. Code named "Prodigy," the file was the genius of J. Edgar Hoover, who created it to use against his political enemies -- which included everyone in Washington from JFK to this year's presidential candidate, Jack Hallorin. The unlucky grad student who uncovered it is dead, and now his girlfriend is on the run, accused of murder.
Mark Beamon -- the only man everyone agrees can find the young woman and the explosive document -- has been suspended by the FBI and is fighting a legal battle to keep himself out of jail. He knows better than anyone that this case is his last shot to save his career -- and his country.
Tracking her down will be the most demanding case Beamon's ever faced, for the young woman is a world-class rock climber who can drop out of sight anywhere in the world. But even if he does find her and the file, who can he trust when the FBI itself is under suspicion?
From Publishers Weekly
The race is on when a law school dropout unearths an explosive FBI file that catalogues the tawdry indiscretions of several leading politicians, including the Republican presidential nominee. Soon the student's mutilated body is found in the van of his ex-girlfriend, a world-class rock climber. As suspicion is thrown on the elusive girl, Mark Beamon, a suspended FBI agent whose career is hanging by a thread, is brought in by an anonymous party to track her down. Also in pursuit is third-party presidential candidate David Hallorin, a megalomaniac whose pockets are as deep as his determination to achieve his own political ends. Actor Shea defines the individual characters well, from nasal underlings to booming politicians to classically sardonic agents. The abridgement causes some unpolished transitions, and listeners may be surprised to find characters extricated from dicey situations with a flip of the tape, but mostly they will enjoy this quality production of a classy and well-plotted political thriller. Based on the HarperCollins hardcover (Forecasts, Mar. 6). (Apr.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
In Mills's third political thriller featuring FBI agent Mark Beamon, the presidential campaign season is complicating Mark's life in more ways than he knows. Because of the leak of incriminating tapes Mark found, politicians on all sides are out for his blood. Faced with a legal battle that he can't afford, Mark reluctantly agrees to an offer of $300,000 to find mountain climber Darby Moore, whose ex-boyfriend was found brutally murdered. A suspect in his death who finds herself in possession of an FBI file that incriminates one of the three presidential candidates, Darby goes into hiding. Mark knows that any of the three would kill to gain possession of the file. The suspense generated by the hunt and the political battle is immense. Unlike many other authors, Mills has not fallen into the trap of writing a story that is only suited for a movie screen; there are no cookie-cutter characters or inexplicable action scenes. Instead, Mills, like David Baldacci, knows that a great story comes first (and then, one hopes, a great movie). Recommended for all collections.
-Jane Jorgenson, Madison P.L., WI
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.