Protect and Defend

By: Richard North Patterson

Narrated by: Patricia Kalember

A compelling new novel from Richard North Patterson- a major departure, and that confirms his place among the most important popular novelists at work today.

A newly elected president faces the unexpected chance to nominate a new chief justice of the Supreme Court. His first choice is a nationally respected Court of Appeals judge, a woman whose nomination faces two serious obstacles: a long-held personal secret; and the prospect that a volatile abortion case- a trial pitting a 15-year-old girl against her pro-life parents- will come before the court. And the Senate majority leader is determined to thwart the president's nomination for reasons that cross the boundary between the political and the personal.

As these stories intertwine, building in complexity and suspense, Patterson gives us the resounding clash of competing ambitions between the president and the majority leader; the equally momentous collision of science and culture in the courtroom; and, in an unprecedented novelistic depiction of the legal process from the perspective of the judge rather than the lawyers, a revelation of both how the judicial system works and how it intersects with politics, for better or for worse.

PROTECT AND DEFEND is a triumph- the definitive novel of politics and law at the dawn of the 21st century.©2000 Richard North Patterson; (P)2000 Random House, Inc.; Random House AudioBooks, a Division of Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

"PROTECT AND DEFEND IS A WINNER. . . . ENGROSSING FROM THE FIRST PAGE . . . Patterson crank[s] up a wild ride on a roller coaster of morality, politics, and emotions."
--USA Today

"POWERFUL . . . RIVETING FROM BEGINNING TO END . . . With Protect and Defend, Richard North Patterson lays further claim to being one of America’s best contemporary popular novelists."
--The Detroit News

"BRILLIANT . . . PATTERSON HAS CAUGHT LIGHTNING IN A BOTTLE. . . . PUT THIS ONE AT THE TOP OF YOUR HOT LIST."
--STEPHEN KING

Great story - lousy production

Have listened to more than a hundred titles - this is the first one that randomly repeated sections. Would like to think it was just a download problem, but suggest that Audible check it out.

Outstanding!

Fully addresses all of the issues in an intelligent, caring and insightful discourse. We could only wish our good politicians were as good as the good ones in the book. Superb reading.

Excellent story but...

This story was well written and performed. However, there were some technical difficulties with my copy. Several times it fell back and repeated several hours of the book. This book is listed at over 30 hours but actually probably around 25 or so.

Able to see both sides

As a father and grandfather I can see the parent's point of view, but I can also see amd understand the daughter's side of the issue. If we are at a pont where we can only write politically neutral books, it's become a sorry state of affairs. All in all it was simply a great political mystery thriller that kept me wishing I could spend more time in the car listening to it to see what would happen next.

Read it for the enjoyment of the story

Don't read this book for its stance on politics, only as a good story. I read for enjoyment and this book was very enjoyable. It made you think about the stance between "no abortion" and "justifiable abortion". It was a great read. I watch movies and read books for enjoyment only and don't let any of the theorizing or politicing influence my opinion of a well written script.