Deep as the Marrow, By F Paul Wilson

Deep as the Marrow
Author: F. Paul Wilson

Published By:  Tor

Date Published: 1997
Genre: Political Fiction

Pages: 404
Recommended For: Adults

Reviewed By: Tara Fox Hall

Rating: 4

Purchased book used

 

Summary:

Crackpots and left-wingers have talked about it for years, but no one with any real authority has ever considered it. It would be political suicide. But President Thomas Winston has taken the boldest and most bizarre step in the War on Drugs that the United States has ever seen. Vowing to make narcotics legal and to tax and regulate them to the brink of extinction, he intends to take the billions of dollars generated from their sale out of the hands of the drug cartels and move the money into the government's coffers.

The conservatives and the Bible Belt are outraged. They swear they'll fight to the death to defeat the President's proposal and see him impeached. The drug lords laugh - they're sure decriminalization will never happen. But then important and respected figures begin to speak out in the media, guardedly supporting President Winston's ideas. Security at the White House is the tightest in its history as death threats pour in daily in ever-increasing numbers. Winston is not concerned. His men are handpicked, the best in the world. Nothing can get to him before he attends the International Drug Summit at The Hague. But they can get to Dr. John VanDuyne, Winston's personal physician and oldest friend, and the one man who can have an audience with the Chief Executive at any time. Someone has kidnapped the doctor's little girl and all he has to do to get her back is poison his best friend - the President of the United States.

 

Tara's Thoughts:
This book pulled me in immediately, and never let go. The characters ran the gamut from innocent to terrifying, and were superbly drawn. I really enjoyed the plot, which was interesting enough just based on the book’s back cover. But halfway through the book the plot took on a life of its own, taking me for a roller coaster ride that had me on the edge of my seat. Just when I thought I knew what was going to happen next, something I couldn’t see coming happened to drive the action in a new direction.

I think that the character of Poppy was my favorite. Though I didn’t identify with her, she was compelling to watch, especially as she rose to meet the challenges she faced and became a sort of hero. Snake, a villain, was horrifying in his casual evil. While he was riveting, I hated him.

This book lacks one star from a perfect rating because I was conflicted about this book’s bittersweet ending. While I liked it on one hand, it seemed a bit over the top, also. Yet I have to wonder if things had happened differently if I would have been as moved by the book, and I think the answer to that is no. My final conclusion is that something was missing, so I was left slightly unsatisfied. But I still highly recommend it!

Overall opinion: If you’ve never read this author, this is a great first novel to try him out!

 

Parents:
Language: some swearing
Adult Content: kidnapping, some drug use (not in a positive light), no sex
Violence: several fight scenes complete with dead bodies and blood, but no gore