Jeremiah, Terrorist Prophet

The high concept behind Smith's debut is summed up in its subtitle; the awkward execution is manifest in most every chapter. Jeremiah the Second, aka Jerry, starts small in his campaign to cleanse America of wickedness and to establish a New America: he shoots one rapist dead and then videotapes his lynching of two others. The videotape is intended for Laura Delaney, the glamorous anchor of a TV news show. Jerry knows how to manipulate media: he posts his grandiose manifesto, ""The Book of Second Jeremiah,"" on the Internet; and, as his crimes escalate to include a bombing that kills 438 pro-tobacco personages, including the Speaker of the House, the media, including Laura, lavish attention on him. So do police forces including the FBI, represented here by hunky Agent Steve Wallace, who, sent by the Bureau to watch Laura, naturally falls in love with her. Eventually, Jerry is tied to a German fascist group and to the theft of nuclear weapons with which he plans to blow up Washington, D.C. He is foiled in that plan but manages to escape an FBI raid, leaving room for a sequel, as does the book's final chapter, which sees the prophet's followers establish a mini-version of Jerry's New America in South Dakota. Smith takes some effective if ham-fisted swipes at targets of his choice, from irresponsible media to venal politicians and an inept criminal justice system. The novel doesn't work as satire, though, as it lacks discernible irony, and its flow of events is too predictable to work as a thriller. What results is a mishmash of a novel as confused as its villain. Smith's concept is high, but the height seems to have induced vertigo. 75,000 first printing; $100,000 ad/promo. (Apr.)