First published in 1995, McCarry’s gargantuan political thriller finally gets an Australian release. Franklin Mallory, former conservative US president, has just been defeated at the polls – but has proof of vote-tampering, and believes himself the rightful winner. He’s also heard rumours that President ‘Frosty’ Lockwood, a laconic liberal about to enter his second term, ordered the assassination of an Arabic terrorist. What follows is a dazzling array of life or death power plays and uneasy strategic alliances that propel this believable book to its nerve-wracking conclusion.