Redemption Day

When Supreme Court Justice Silvio Caprelli is kidnapped, all the evidence points to recently laid-off terrorism analyst and protagonist Nick James. Now both the terrorists and the government are out to get him in this testosterone-fueled novel featuring plenty of violence, a crazed and committed militia group, a sexy female FBI agent, government graft, intrigue, creepiness (Caprelli is sequestered in a coffin), and a romantic subplot. Readers might hear a patriotic score playing in the background when the action closes in on Washington, D.C., and the book lurches toward its violent but righteous conclusion. Unfortunately, O'Brien's characters are no more than caricatures, and readers will have little invested in who survives and who dies a miserable death%E2%80%94by toxin, via noose%E2%80%94and it's pretty clear from the start who's going to triumph in the end.