The Eighteenth Green - (Jack Patterson Thriller) by Webb Hubbell (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

2018 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards Finalist

Who was Harold Spencer? All D.C. Lawyer Jack Patterson knew was that Spencer's dead body had been found on the 18th Green of Columbia Country Club, cancelling Jack's Saturday golf game.

Who is Rachel Goodman? Her name has been plastered on the front page of every newspaper in the country for weeks, branded as a thief of confidential info vital to U.S. National Security and a spy for Israel. She is also the daughter of Jack's long-time friend and mentor, Ben Jennings.

Despite the opposition, Jack feels compelled to defend Rachel. He goes to work against the government, the all-powerful military-industrial complex, most of the press and Congress, all of whom are convinced that Rachel is guilty and should receive the death penalty for her treason.

Clovis Jones, Jack's friend, is the victim of a vicious attack. The more Jack digs, the more complicated and dangerous his work becomes. Even a volunteer group of Navy SEALs may not be enough protection.

Jack discovers the key to Rachel's exoneration lies with Harold Spencer, the man found dead on the 18th Green. Jack rushes to discover who killed Spencer and why, but the murderer has now trained his sights on Jack and will stop at nothing.

Review Quotes

"Once again, Webb Hubbell has triumphed, embroiling Jack and his cast of characters in an almost impossible situation. But nothing's impossible for Jack Patterson―we know that―not even when national security is pitted against criminal justice. In The Eighteenth Green, forget golf. We've got espionage, murder, downloaded state secrets, prison, Navy SEALS, missile designs, suicide, and much more. It takes the crafty mind―of whom? an anti-trust lawyer, of course (which Jack is)―to deal with these things, while he still eats well, drinks well, travels on private jets between D.C. and Little Rock, finds love and sex, and remains loyal to friends and family."―Anne Harding Woodworth, Author of The Last Gun and The Eyes Have It

"I need Webb Hubbell to write more rapidly. Too much time elapses between Jack Patterson thrillers. Webb is such a skilled writer, and he knows his way around so many "rooms"―uptown and downtown, political and domestic―that his stories are buttressed with the facts and detail that support belief. I'm no golfer, but The Eighteenth Green is no sand-trap. It's another smart, sophisticated, Patterson mind-puzzle by Webb Hubbell that I couldn't put down."―Peter Coyote, actor, author

"The Eighteenth Green is Hubbell's best to date. I loved them all, but I couldn't put this one down. Surprises and mystery around an issue we should all care about."―Bill Clinton, 42nd President of the United States and co-author of The President Is Missing

"Webb Hubbell scores with his latest fictional legal thriller, The Eighteenth Green. D.C. attorney Jack Patterson is once again pulled away from his antitrust work into a high-stakes, political mystery that begins with a shocking murder on a golf course and then roller-coasts its way through the Pentagon, Israel, Pawley's Island, South Carolina, and Little Rock, Arkansas. Patterson doggedly investigates allegations that the daughter of his close friend and mentor is a spy for Israel, and bumps up against egos, special interests and political ambitions along the way. Expect not only dangerous, near-death run-ins for Patterson, but also close calls for his nearest and dearest associates. Hubbell masterfully weaves his familiar characters into this new plot, introduces new foils and love interests, and uses his characteristically conversational style to illuminate a complex, intriguing tale that harkens the reader back to the days of Oliver North and the Iran-Contra Affair. Mining his own career history in D.C., Hubbell gifts the reader with a window into Washington press briefings, 'off-the-record' exchanges with reporters, political banter and high-level lobbying. Jack Patterson navigates his way to a satisfying finish in The Eighteenth Green, with plenty of room for future adventure and action."―David Rudolf, criminal defense and civil rights attorney. Featured in the Netflix series The Staircase

"I know of no other author of legal thrillers who outshines Webb Hubbell in knowledge of the law or the skills that bring a great novel to life. The Eighteenth Green is his best yet. At the last stop on a field of battle where the loser buys the winner a drink lies a man whose battles in a far deadlier game are over. At first, Jack Patterson knows the dead man only as the reason his golf game is canceled, but that will change. Anchoring the sizzling plot that follows is one of the most engaging protagonists in fiction today. By the middle of Webb Hubbell's first legal thriller, I was a fan of this lawyer who breaks the mold of the ditto hero: a genial gentleman who can turn as tough as he needs to be, whose deadliest weapon is his mind, and who will put his life on the line for his ideals. By The Eighteenth Green of this latest Jack Patterson thriller, I wished he could step from the world Webb Hubbell renders so real into our own, which could use more men like him."―Steven Spruill, author of Rulers of Darkness and Ice Men: A Novel of the Korean War

"I loved this book! I read it aloud to my wife and she adored it as well! Webb Hubbell has done it again, bringing Jack Patterson and the gang back, now spiced up with some new recruits, and taking on the big - in this case really big - bad guys. A fast pace, an intricate and surprising plot, a truly shocking development, a couple of surprising if delightful turns and Hubbell's intricate knowledge of the Washington games make The Eighteenth Green a hoot!"―Mike Farrell, best known as BJ Hunnicutt of M*A*S*H, is the author of Just Call Me Mike: A Journey to Actor and Activist and Of Mule and Man.

"The Eighteenth Green is an exciting read! Jack Patterson, the lead character in Webb Hubbell's book series, becomes more and more like a family member in each book! A family member that has big adventures in a dangerous world! A family member you hope will be at the next family gathering!"―Harry Thomason, Producer/Director: Designing Women, Evening Shade, The Last Ride

In this fourth book of Webb Hubbell's Jack Patterson series of thrillers, The Eighteenth Green carries on his tradition of smart, suspenseful writing. The characters are by now familiar, but the there is nothing routine about the plot. The daughter of Jack Patterson's old friend has been arrested and charged with espionage. The facts appear damning, and, as always, the federal prosecutors hold all the cards. This is not your run-of-the-mill thriller. Hubbell's own experience in the law and in the workings of the federal government create an air of painful experience that brings credibility and nuance to his descriptions of the behind the scenes machinations, leaks, and lies that inevitably creep in to corrupt an all-powerful federal system and the lobbyists and politicians who feed at the trough. The picture one takes away of what goes in in Washington is chilling because it seems so very real. That chill keeps the book rolling right to the very end. It adds depth and substance to the story, and leaves the reader with some very serious questions to consider about the nature of government. The writing style of most thrillers can try the patience of a thoughtful reader. Not so with Hubbell. The characters speak with authenticity, the writing is clean and crisp, and the reader's intelligence is respected, while the plot leaps and bounds with an energy and suspense that makes it difficult to turn out the light. Pick it up, and be prepared to neglect everything else until the end. I highly recommend The Eighteenth Green, and I look forward eagerly to the next installment of Jack Patterson's adventures."― J.F. Riordan, author of North of the Tension Line, The Audacity of Goats, and Robert's Rules

About the Author

Webb Hubbell, former Associate Attorney General of the United States, is an author and lecturer. His Jack Patterson series and his memoir, Friends in High Places, are published by Beaufort Books. His books have been honored with numerous awards, including the IndieFab awards for best novel in 2014 and the IPPY Awards Gold Medal for best suspense/thriller. He also writes a daily blog of personal meditations at thehubbellpew.com.