Body Man - by Al Pessin (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Body Man is a taut, terrifying, terrific political thriller that cuts to the bone of the devastating divide roiling America today. Drawing on his insider experience as a former member of the White House press corps, Al Pessin paints an all-too-credible portrait of a democracy on the brink--where patriotism and extremism blur, and every truth is weaponized. Body Man is both a propulsive psychological thriller and a sobering cautionary tale, a pulse-pounding story ripped from tomorrow's headlines."

--Jon Land, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author

Steve Berry says Body Man is "crisply plotted, thought-provoking and troubling in its take on our new reality."

Two Patriots Trying to Save America From Each Other

A new president, an Alt-Right rebellion, an assassination attempt gone horribly wrong. Body Man is a deep dive into both sides of the American political divide, a chilling cautionary tale for our times. This character-driven political/psychological thriller from a former member of the White House press corps is a cold look at the hot mess of today's America and shows how much worse things could get if we let them. Spencer is the Body Man, close personal aide to a senator who catapults to the presidency on a strong gun control platform. Carl is a body man of a different sort, a marine corps sniper with a bad conduct discharge who gets drawn into the Alt-Right movement and recruited to assassinate the new president. When the attempt goes horribly wrong, sparking mutinies in the military and riots in the streets, the president spirals into depression, giving Spencer more power than a body man should ever have. If you've lived through America's turmoil, or watched it from afar, Body Man will take you on an unforgettable and all too-realistic journey into a frighteningly near future where remaining norms are shattered, familiar lines are blurred, and more than ever, heroes and villains are defined in the eye of the beholder.

Review Quotes

"This one sizzles with tensions and twists that both entertain and magnetize. Crispy plotted and paced it's also thought-provoking and troubling in its take on our new reality."

-- Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling author of the Cotton Malone thrillers

"Body Man is a taut, terrifying, terrific political thriller that cuts to the bone of the devastating divide roiling America today. Drawing on his insider experience as a former member of the White House press corps, Al Pessin paints an all-too-credible portrait of a democracy on the brink--where patriotism and extremism blur, and every truth is weaponized. Body Man is both a propulsive psychological thriller and a sobering cautionary tale, a pulse-pounding story ripped from tomorrow's headlines."

-- Jon Land, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author

"Al Pessin has done it again in this chilling cautionary tale for our divided times. Part psychological thriller, part just flat-out thrills, Body Man has all of Pessin's White House Press Corps experience, and his reliably fresh style. Don't miss this one from a terrific writer."

-- T. Jefferson Parker, New York Times bestselling author of Desperation Reef

"Part political drama, part explosive thriller, Body Man takes readers from Capitol Hill corridors to battlefields abroad, tracing the fault lines of patriotism and power. Al Pessin's newest novel asks: what happens when those sworn to protect democracy become its greatest threat? A timely, gripping page-turner that feels ripped from tomorrow's headlines."

-- Paul Levine, bestselling author of the Jake Lassiter and Solomon vs. Lord legal thriller series, and the new Einstein-Chaplin Thrillers.

"I lost hours of sleep compulsively consuming the pages of Body Man, Al Pessin's wide-angled political thriller set in contemporary America. Read it and weep for us all."

-- Lynne Hugo, award-winning author of A Matter of Mercy

"A gut-punch of a novel. Terrifyingly plausible. Body Man isn't just a thriller, it's a warning shot--chilling, thought-provoking, and disturbingly familiar. I couldn't stop reading."

-- Bonnar Spring, Derringer and Blanchard Award-winning author and host of the Crime Wave podcast.

"Flawlessly written and thrilling. A must-read. Al Pessin's two main characters, Spencer and Carl, pulled me into their totally relatable lives and became unforgettable icons of misguided Americans caught up in the confusing world of politics and patriotism. Their dual journeys kept me on the edge of my seat in this all-too-real tale told by an author with insider knowledge gleaned from years of experience serving in the White House and Pentagon press corps. BODY MAN kept my heart pounding long after the final page."

--S.L. Menear, Award-winning and Amazon #1 best-selling author of Flight to Redemption in the Samantha Starr thriller series

"Al Pessin's new political thriller is a sharp, tightly crafted look at the political fault lines running through American life today. BODY MAN turns those divisions into a compelling, accessible story with real urgency. Al has a rare ability to make complex issues engaging without losing depth, and the result is a novel whose impact deepens alongside its suspense. A timely and thought provoking read--strongly recommended."

--Elez Biberaj, Journalist, Former Acting Director, Voice of America

"Five Stars.

A tour de force political thriller by a masterful storyteller!
"I've been a fan of Al Pessin's superb writing since his Task Force Epsilon trilogy SANDBLAST, BLOWBACK, and SHOCK WAVE: believable characters, thrilling action, taut plot, exotic settings. With BODY MAN, Al has turned his masterful skills to contemporary America, ratcheting up the tension with dual narrations of a thriller reflecting the all-too-real political divide in our country. Al's compelling story-telling takes us for twin rides in the Left wing and Right wing points-of-view with drama ripped from the headlines and a warning: patriot or traitor? You decide. I galloped through this book haunted by that question, never more so as the story came to an end. In his Author's Note and Acknowledgements, Al concludes: "This story is fiction. Let's keep it that way." Amen, brother."

--Jane Kelly Amerson Lopez, author Embassy Kid, An American Foreign Service Family Memoir

"This one leans in hard--and I mean hard--to the 'what if things really spiral?' question. Al Pressin delivers a deep dive into both sides of the American political divide without playing favorites. It's a cautionary tale that feels a little too close to reality for comfort."

--Jennie Reads

About the Author

Al Pessin is a former member of the White House and Pentagon press corps, a 15-year foreign correspondent, and author of the forthcoming political thriller Body Man from Amphorae Publishing.

Al's previous books, all award winners, are international military spy thrillers Sandblast, Blowback, and Shock Wave from Kensington Publishing.

All his books build on Al's decades of experience covering the highest echelons of Washington as well as some of the world's most desperate conflicts and most hopeful and inspiring moments. Al was on the scene in Afghanistan and Iraq, at Southeast Asian refugee camps, the Guantanamo Bay Detention Center, the rally where Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated, and along streets devastated by terrorist bombs.

He also reported to the world about uprisings in Beijing, Kyiv, Cairo, and Manila, as well as hope-filled elections in Egypt, Gaza, and Libya, among other places, indeed including the United States. Al was expelled from China for his coverage of the Tiananmen Massacre, accused of "illegal news gathering" and "fomenting counterrevolutionary rebellion."

Among other honors, he was named Communicator of the Year for that coverage. His novels have won a Florida Book Award and several Royal Palm Literary Awards, as well as other recognition.

Al has led writing seminars for Writers Digest and at many other online and in person events, and taught graduate-level journalism as an adjunct at Northwestern University, his alma mater.

He has published commentaries in several outlets, including the Los Angeles Times, the South Florida Sun Sentinel, Politico, and DefenseOne.

His blogs on writing for the Florida Writers Association are at https: //floridawriters.blog/author/alpessi/. More on Al at https: //www.AlPessin.com. Contact: alpessinauthor@gmail.com.