TEST OF RESOLVE
BY
PETER MURPHY
Paperback: 384 pages
My Rating: 8.5 / 10
About the Book:
As Ellen Trevathan settles into her presidency, she feels confident to come out as a lesbian to the press, an announcement that unleashes a storm of criticism against her authority. Her personal life becomes increasingly unstable when her daughter, Dani, is kidnapped by a Hindu extremist group, Svatantra Kashmir (SK). Director of the FBI, Kelly Smith, is called in to investigate and is soon immersed in a situation with far wider implications.
Under pressure to comply with orders made by SK, Ellen has to tackle the threat of nuclear war between India and Pakistan and ensure the safety of her daughter. As the crisis escalates, public duty and personal concerns are thrown into conflict. The severity of the situation demands that one has to be sacrificed, and only Ellen can choose...
Test of Resolve is the second novel by Peter Murphy that I have read recently. A Higher Duty, his novel about scheming lawyers which I enjoyed, was totally different to this political thriller, but which I relished just as much.
Full of intriguing characters (and there were plenty of them!) including Bev, a student who, upon discovering that his family have made him a sleeper for a Kashmir Freedom Group reacts thus:
Well, how many wars have there been over Kashmir just in your lifetimes, dad, mom? It's one of those places where the fighting will never stop - like the Balkans, like Ireland. They can have as many ceasefires as they like, declare peace as many times as they like, and nothing changes, they still kill each other. Do you want to sacrifice me for that? Do you want me to sacrifice my children? We don't eve live there, for God's sake, and we never will. When will it ever end? Where does it stop? How is this a part of me?
I was hooked, I was invested in the characters, I wanted to see how the situation would be resolved.
I was impressed in the number of positions of power that women held, including the United States President, the Director of the F.B.I., plus several Secret Service Agents. All good strong women.
The only downside was the cast of characters, there were so many of them, it was difficult to keep track of them all. Also, some of the dialogue was a little stilted sometimes.
Nonetheless, the pace was unrelenting, the writing sharp and it kept me wanting to keep reading.
Source: From Real Readers in exchange for an honest review.
Reach Peter Murphy at his website
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