The Fourth Perimeter

By: Tim Green

Narrated by: Ron Perlman

Length: 5 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's Summary

Wherever the president of the United States goes, four perimeters of protection surround him. The fourth and final perimeter is a nearly impenetrable ring of agents, the commander-in-chief's literal bodyguards.

Kurt Ford is a former Secret Service agent who has become a successful high-tech entrepreneur. A widower with one child, his proudest achievement is his son, Collin, a young Secret Service agent assigned to guard the U.S. president. But on a foggy night in Georgetown, Collin's body is found in his apartment and the police rule the death a suicide. Devastated, Ford knows his son would never have taken his own life, and he becomes suspicious when he discovers that several other young agents have also died, presumably because they all had witnessed a strange, secret meeting, involving the president, at a remote Maryland farmhouse.

Ford becomes obsessed with finding the truth. Shockingly, the trail of evidence leads to none other than the president of the United States. Although Kurt Ford is a man at the pinnacle of power and on the verge of a new marriage, he plots to do the unthinkable - assassinate the president. But when he sets his plan in motion, he quickly discovers how much he really has to lose - and what dark forces are waiting for him to make his next move.

©2002 by Tim Green, All Rights Reserved (P)2002 TimeWarner AudioBooks, a Division of the AOL Time Warner Book Group

Critic Reviews

"It's hard not to cast this in one's mind as a movie; it's a juicy, action-packed story with a complex central character." (Amazon.com)

Predictable and Pedantic

I don't know whether it was the way the work was abridged, or the way the book was written, but I saw the principal plot twists in this book coming from about a mile away. I found the resolution of the book unbelievable.

It was well narrated, and I was interested, but I simply could not suspend disbelief.

Wait till this one hits the bargain bin.

7 of 9 people found this review helpful

Interesting story. Poor performance.

I liked the concept but the action just doesn't reach the level of stories by Thor, Flynn, or even Coes or Cussler. Maybe those authors have spoiled me. This story was more like a B movie. More guilty pleasure than thrilling experience.

Maybe Ron Perlman's performance got in the way of my enjoyment. I was really looking forward to hearing him perform this book. But there was NO PERFORMING. It was read in a rather lackluster style with no accents or other voice characterization, and really not much emotion either. He could have been reading a textbook. Great book reading isn't just enunciation. It's supposed to be voice acting.

I am going to try another book by Green but only if it has a different reader.

Solid

Great story, terrific narration - I'll look for more books from Mr. Green.