My Second Book Review

Review by W. J. Rayment / ConservativeBookstore -- John Washburn in "When Evil Prospers" delves into what politics would become in America if a liberal president were in the White House in the midst of a war on terror. Mr. Washburn works hard to be even-handed in his characterizations and in the arguments put forth by various characters to justify their actions within the constraints of the plot line.

As in any political thriller, drama drips from every page. The characters are confronted with a new devastating terrorist attack. The Governor of Texas, where the attack occurs, is a straight-forward, self-reliant political novice who uses common sense to deal with the issues that naturally arise from a violent attack on Texas soil.

Meanwhile a liberal president has come to power, and she deals with the situation in a way that reflects the "turn the other cheek" and "consensus building" attitudes of the left. The conflict in the story becomes not a struggle between the United States and terrorists, but a struggle between political factions within the United States.

Washburn has created some interesting and plausible characters who are confronted with hard choices that challenge their beliefs. It is incredible that he has been able to pull this off without his characters becoming caricatures of the intellectual ideas they are meant to represent.

Seeing the political decisions being made, we can draw parallels with our current struggle with terrorists(and Washburn does not hesitate to mention actual historical and political figures as they come to have a bearing on the story). We are also shown how these political decisions directly affect the individuals on the front lines of the struggle.

What I like about "When Evil Prospers" is that both liberals and conservatives can read this book and feel that their own sides of the political issues depicted are well-represented. The moderate can read the book with a detached perspective and follow the story line to its logical conclusion.

In all, this is a well-written work that could be a prescient view of what our future holds in store.

Wow! Thanks to Mr. Rayment at The Conservative Monitor for the kind words.

Click HERE to learn more about When Evil Prospers or preorder at Amazon.com