Protect and Defend (Kerry Kilcannon, #2)

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Protect and Defend (Kerry Kilcannon #2)

3.96 of 5 stars 3.96 · rating details · 1,669 ratings · 91 reviews

On a cold day in January President Kerry Kilcannon takes the oath of office-- and within days makes his first, most important move: appointing a new Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Kilcannon's choice is a female judge with a brilliant record. And a secret.

While the Senate spars over Caroline Masters' nomination, an inflammatory abortion rights case is making its way t...more

Paperback, 608 pages

Published October 30th 2001 by Ballantine Books (first published January 1st 2000)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

Balance Of Power by Richard North Patterson

Protect and Defend by Richard North Patterson

Degree of Guilt by Richard North Patterson

Best Of Richard North Patterson

2nd out of 7 books — 5 voters

legal thrillers

69th out of 111 books — 162 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 2,340)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Jan 04, 2009 Eric_W rated it 4 of 5 stars

If this work is characteristic, Patterson writes very literate mystery/thriller novels that take a public issue and dissect it from multiple viewpoints. Protect and Defend has been described by one reviewer as the most accurate portrayal of the Washington political scene. The issue is abortion, specifically fifteen year- ld Mary Anne Tierney’s struggle to abort late-term a severely hydrocephalic, brainless, and otherwise deformed and defective fetus. A normal birth has been deemed impossible and...more If this work is characteristic, Patterson writes very literate mystery/thriller novels that take a public issue and dissect it from multiple viewpoints. Protect and Defend has been described by one reviewer as the most accurate portrayal of the Washington political scene. The issue is abortion, specifically fifteen year- ld Mary Anne Tierney’s struggle to abort late-term a severely hydrocephalic, brainless, and otherwise deformed and defective fetus. A normal birth has been deemed impossible and she worries that a Caesarian, as often happens, will prevent her being able to have children later. Her family are vigorously antiabortion under any circumstance Her father is a brilliant law professor and he is pitted against her in the courtroom as the legal representative of the unborn child. A subplot is the political struggle to have a new chief justice confirmed. The recently elected president, Kerry Kilcannon, introduced in a previous book of Patterson’s, No Safe Place, chooses to nominate Caroline Masters (Patterson’s The Final Judgment). There are allusions to events that take place in both of these earlier works, neither of which I have read — the stack grows ever skyward. Kilcannon and Masters are both very strong, principled characters, who, nevertheless, have skeletons in the closet that provide a most interesting backdrop for an examination of ethical dilemmas. The centerpiece is the sensational, nationally televised trial that pits Mary Anne against her family and becomes an issue in the Masters nomination. Mary Anne’s attorney is a young lawyer who wants to overturn a recently passed law that requires parental consent for abortions. Patterson excels at presenting all sides of an issue quite objectively, and it’s often difficult not to sympathize with all the parties in this difficult case.

Patterson’s an attorney who knows the law, and his novel reflects considerable research. The book could almost be a primer on abortion law and how it has evolved uniquely in this country — it’s hardly an issue in most other countries. It’s also a lesson in how politics is conducted. He talked with both Clinton and Senator Dole about how they would promote or try to defeat a Supreme Court nominee, and he relates that the strategies he learned from these two politically astute people were mesmerizing.

Clearly, Patterson understands the different threads of belief that go into making the conflict so bitter in this country: the patriarchal strain in fundamentalist religion that suggests that women must play a secondary role in the home, making reproduction a male prerogative; a negative cultural response to the perceived licentiousness of the much maligned sixties; and the genuine and respectable view against abortion that relates to the devaluation of life. A difficulty has been for the pro-life movement to define death. According to Patterson, they have been unable to resolve the distinction between biological death and brain death. The Pope, ironically, has accepted brain death as a sign that life is gone, but he has been unable to accept that no brain, i.e., no cerebral cortex formation may be the same thing. For an excellent discussion of the distinction between life and being a human being, I recommend The Facts of Life: Science and the Abortion Controversy Patterson deliberately chose to write about a partial-birth abortion because he felt the moral and ethical issues can be brought more clearly into focus. He noted in a television interview on C-Span-2 that “partial-birth” is not a medical concept. It’s a political term that has been used to redefine what abortion means. The book also deals with the relationships within families. “People project their own supposed loveliness as parents on the world at large, and their reaction is terribly personal: ‘I’m a good parent and I would want to be involved,” What they don't stop to consider is that first, if they’re in a functioning family, chances are really good their daughter isn't going to require an Act of Congress to talk to them about this. Second, we may be lovely parents, but what about incestuous families, abusive families, alcoholic families, families where the kid is used as a bone of contention between parents who are at war? All sorts of things which mean that in a given case, you’re either going to get a delay or perhaps a baby out of it, because the minor ultimately doesn’t know what to do. Or, in the worst case, death, either from illegal abortion or because of some act of family violence which is triggered by the exposure of the father’s sexual abuse of the daughter.” This is a fascinating book.

(less)

2 likes · like · see review

Feb 25, 2013 Pam rated it 3 of 5 stars

I read this book after reading No Safe Place, with trepidation. I used to read Richard North Patterson all the time but his books became so political that I stopped reading him. I was looking for something to read and decided to try Patterson again. The storyline was interesting, i liked the back story in the first book however I soon realized these books seemed to be used more for Patterson's personal statement of beliefs than an interesting story. The President and his party do things that are...more

like · see review

May 19, 2012 Roger rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

(Note: I had previously decided not to go back and rate books here that I had read long ago, but having just reviewed RNP's recent Fall from Grace, I felt the need to counter-balance it with a summary of one of my favorite books of his. What follows comes from a review I submitted to my college's alumni cyber-bookclub soon after this book was published.)

...Even though it is still a relatively new book, it was fairly easy for me to obtain a copy from the library. This must say something about my

...more (Note: I had previously decided not to go back and rate books here that I had read long ago, but having just reviewed RNP's recent Fall from Grace, I felt the need to counter-balance it with a summary of one of my favorite books of his. What follows comes from a review I submitted to my college's alumni cyber-bookclub soon after this book was published.)

...Even though it is still a relatively new book, it was fairly easy for me to obtain a copy from the library. This must say something about my (then) current residence in Colorado Springs, home of Focus on the Family, Colorado for Family Values, et. al. But living here, after growing up in northern Ohio, also made it fairly easy for me to connect with this book: one of the central characters, Senator Chad Palmer, was raised in a suburb of Cleveland, and then was a senior cadet at the Air Force Academy when he met Allie, a freshman at Colorado College who would later become his wife. I was also familiar with two other major players in the story - President Kerry Kilcannon and Judge Caroline Masters - from their roles in earlier works by Patterson, whose books I have looked forward to ever since reading Degree of Guilt...

It has always been characters such as these that have drawn me into Patterson's stories. Honorable yet vulnerable, complex and flawed, they struggle as they test the very rough waters of the monumental challenges before them: a 15-year-old girl in search of an abortion against her parents' wishes; the young lawyer representing her as they challenge a federal parental consent law; a youthful president whose first obligation is to appoint a new chief justice to a sharply divided supreme court. But one thing about Patterson's characters: they are rarely deceptive. The reader always knows where they stand regarding the issues and difficulties they confront, which in this sweeping novel are many: late-term abortion, campaign financing, judicial nomination, media intrusion and exploitation, and more. Of course, it is also obvious on which side of the fence Patterson sits with respect to these themes, but he has still managed to weave them all together into a compelling story that is as much about the secrets we keep and the extremely high price that is often paid for them as it is about such questions as the weight that should be given to the will and the health of the mother. Here are just a few of the many other questions raised by Patterson:

*Should localities that tend to have more restrictive laws preserving the life of the unborn also have more policies in place that support the mother and child after birth takes place? What about religious advocacy for laws that only value life until it is born?

*Where should the line be drawn around the places that government just doesn't belong? If a court has the power to order a minor to deliver a severely defective fetus, at whatever risk to the mother, does it also have the authority to order her to abort one?

This well-researched book didn't change my mind about any of these questions, but it did present some enlightening new ideas and arguments on both sides of the issues that I had not considered before, which helped me clarify my position on things. For that reason alone I am glad I read the book, and I'd definitely recommend it to others. I also enjoyed Patterson's occasional injections of humor and sarcasm that would lighten up what could otherwise have been a very long, deep, and intense ride. For example, one of my favorites from judge Caroline Masters: "Judges are the opposite of politicians: we're real people who pretend not to be."

This was one of those books that I never wanted to end. It was not the kind of book that I couldn't put down; conversely, I often did want to put it down, just to ponder the situation and feel the emotions. Now that it has ended, I still want to know how Mary Ann Tierney gets on with her family. I still want to know if Sarah Dash finds continued success. I want to know if Chad and Allie Palmer are able to move beyond their troubles. And I want to know if Kerry Kilcannon and Caroline Masters solve all the problems of the world! I suspect - and hope - that we will hear more from some of these characters in the future.

Now I think I'd like to go back a read this one again, eleven years later, just to see if my feelings have changed...(less)

1 like · like · see review

May 16, 2012 Marilyn rated it 5 of 5 stars

This was another awesome book. This book explores politics in D.C., the law that was instituted by Congress to protect a minor from abortion (Protection of Life Act), ALL of the abortion issues (I didn't know there were so many!), the delicacies (and wars) of selecting a judge, the battle of the Democrats vs the Republicans in the Senate, and the corruption around special interests using money to get their way in government, among other things. Now that all sounds very boring, but...intertwined...more

1 like · like · see review

Apr 01, 2012 Joy rated it 4 of 5 stars

On a cold day in January, President-elect Kerry Kilcannon takes the oath of office—and within days makes his first, most important move: appointing a new Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Kilcannon’s choice is a female judge with a brilliant record. And a secret.

While the Senate spars over Caroline Masters’s nomination, an inflammatory abortion rights case is making its way toward the judge—and will explode into the headlines.

Fifteen year old Mary Anne Tierney’s struggle to abort late-term a...more

like · see review

Aug 07, 2009 Marvin rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: religion

I liked No Safe Place, but I liked this sequel even better. There are two parallel stories: a court case involving a 15-year-old girl's desire to abort (against her parent's wishes in the face of a federal parental consent law that prohibited it) her late-term baby who's been identified as hydrocephalic; and the nomination of a woman to the Supreme Court who is eventually called on to cast the deciding vote (& write the opinion) in an appeal of the case to a federal appeals court (she's nomi...more

like · see review

Nov 27, 2010 Bob rated it 4 of 5 stars

A 546 page combination political and legal thriller on an ever controversial topic. Kerry Kilcannon has just run a close election to the Presidency of the US. Just after taking the oath of office the chief Justice dies of a stroke. No friend of the new President the dead Justice leaves the position open and Kerry taps Caroline Masters, a brilliant jurist to fill the post. Meanwhile back in the area covered by Caroline's jurisdiction a young lawyer once Caroline’s law clerk, takes up the case of...more

like · see review

Apr 30, 2010 Kendra rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: not-in-collection

Okay, I'm hoping I can write this without spoiling it. This was a fantastic book!

The premise of the story is that a 15year old girl is pregnant with a baby who is severely hydrocephalic. Because she is underage, she has to have her parents' permission to abort the fetus. The parents are pro-lifers and absolutely refuse. She takes them to court to have them and the main law over-rode.

In between this story is a new President who is trying to get a woman approved as Chief Justice on the Supreme Cou...more

like · see review

Jan 01, 2012 Frederick Bingham rated it 4 of 5 stars

A 15-year-old San Francisco girl gets pregnant and wants to have an abortion. Just before this happens, Congress passes a law requiring parental consent for late-term abortions for minors. The baby is hydrocephalic and will be born without a brain if it goes full term. A young attorney agrees to take the child to court to fight her parents - anti-abortion activists - who want her to have the baby. In the midst of all this, the attorney's mentor, a federal judge in San Francisco gets nominated to...more

like · see review

Nov 15, 2009 Joan rated it 3 of 5 stars

I really enjoy books by Richard North Patterson - interesting discussions on issues that I think about in the context of a beach/plane read. Long enough that there is room to present some of the details about the process/issue under discussion; simplistic characters so that I can pay attention to the issues and not have too many details to keep track of and enough of a story to keep me interested.

Protect and Defend discusses two issues - late term abortions and confirmation of supreme court jus...more

2 likes · like · see review

Aug 19, 2012 Michael Cremin rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, politics

This is an intense political drama about an absolute knife fight in DC over a nomination to the Supreme Court. While the circumstances driving the story were a bit contrived, the inside view of the political maneuvering, backstabbing, closed room deals, pressure politics, special influence peddling, and the power of personal destruction to shape public policy, was remarkable. This series is highly entertaining. I am looking forward to the third one.

I was reminded, as I read, of the recent movie...more

like · see review

Jun 08, 2011 Marta Traverso rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Richard North Patterson. E' la prima volta che mi approccio a questo autore, e direi che sono più che soddisfatta. Non solo perché il legal thriller - uno dei miei generi preferiti, nonostante io detesti con tutta me stessa il diritto... mah :-) - è confezionato molto bene, ma tratta un argomento che mi sta da sempre molto a cuore (Jodi Picoult docet): la bioetica.

La vicenda ruota infatti attorno a una quindicenne incinta di un bimbo idrocefalo, che ha scoperto la malattia a gravidanza ormai ava...more

like · see review

Feb 04, 2009 Wes rated it 5 of 5 stars

I read this book back in 2004. The subject is partial-birth abortion and it does a great job of bringing the point-of-view from all sides -- and no side is looked at frivilously. Because of this, I changed my view on the subject -- a very rare feat for a work of fiction to accomplish. The main characters (the ones you'll care about) are well thought out and the plot always moves forward, but by the end, it's all boiled down to the main point: Who gets to decide. I highly recommend it.

1 like · like · see review

Dec 16, 2012 Nena rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: unfinished, 2012-reads

Audiobook:

Actress Patricia Kalember who starred in a 1980's tv drama "Sisters" narrated this. It was a combination of her annoying voice (over-enunciating and over-done diction made it sound like she was auditioning for a part) and the extremely slow pace of this boring read that made me quit before I reached the end of the fourth chapter.

I could tell right away that this was going to be some kind of political anti-abortion propoganda and I was simply not interested.

Pass.

like · see review

Jul 24, 2010 Muriel McLemore rated it 5 of 5 stars

I am about halfway through this book and I have a hard time putting it down. Although written in 2000 about a female Supreme Court nominee and an abortion case, it is so current; especially with the current hearings on Kagen. It is still about abortion, gun control, and campaign financing.

It continued to be a page turner for me. I enjoyed the strong female characters and at least the bad guys got nailed in this political tale. It is a sad commentary on American politics and how cut throat it is...more

like · see review

Jan 05, 2008 Roberta rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: people who like to think

Shelves: politicalthriller

Interesting read. The book's theme is abortion. The main characters are the president of the U.S. and his nominee for Supreme Court chief justice. Also, during this time a case that is supposed to challenge a federal abortion law comes to court and goes to the nominee's federal appeals court changing the whole scheme of her nomination.

If you want a book that makes you think about morality in politics and is realistic and don't mind that the character is very left wing (some people might not enj...more

like · see review

Apr 07, 2010 Daniel Currie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Daniel by: Peg

I had never read a book in the legal/political drama genre before so it was interesting from that perspective. The final showdown is obvious from the first 10% of the book, which is fine. I don't think was intended any other way. The characters are cliched, altho not necessarily unrealistic. It did hold my interest and I found myself spending a lot of time reading as it approached the climax, so that says something for the book. I learned alot about the legal system, machinations of Washington a...more

like · see review

Feb 21, 2012 Samuel rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book presents many angles on abortion.
In would sound like a zero-sum game as the protagonist would find
herself in a moral corner with the wall of judgment on her back.
Yet, it presents a very personal approach to telling the story
that the reader will empathize with the brave pregnant girl for
challenging the Constitution of America.
Excellent story telling and informative.

like · see review

Jul 04, 2010 Julie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery

Excellent. As legal thrillers go, this guy is a cut above. The character development drives his books, but I was also very impressed with the amount of legal and political research that clearly went into it. It takes you through an abortion case that makes it's way to the Supreme Court while also following the machinations driving the nomination of the first female Chief Justice. Once I got into it I couldn't put it down and I found myself thinking about it when I had to. Sure sign of a good rea...more

like · see review

Jul 09, 2012 Helen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Surprisingly intelligent story covering a young girl's decision to fight for a late term abortion. This is far from being my favourite subject for entertaining reading - but the author did a fantastic job of presenting the arguments on all sides (parents, mothers, law). Incredibly well researched and sensitive - a book to make you think!

like · see review

Mar 09, 2009 Mj rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is not light reading. Read it if you want to get dragged through a partial birth abortion crisis, solved by an appeals judge from the 9th circuit, who just happens to be nominated to be Chief Justice of the Supreme Court! Most Republicans look bad and most Democrats look cool. Typical Patterson.

1 like · like · see review

Feb 22, 2011 Carvas rated it 4 of 5 stars

Great exploration of the abortion thema and Washington political theather.
But... the author has clearly a pro-choice point of view, and i think that comes in the book. No judgement here, i wonder if it's really possible to be completly neutral in a issue like this.

like · see review

Nov 07, 2010 Richard rated it 5 of 5 stars

One of the most satisfying reading experiences of my life. Even ten years later, I can still remember reading this long novel straight through in one unplanned marathon sitting.

I have such fond memories of that night that I almost don't want to revisit this one.

like · see review

Sep 11, 2012 Greg Parsons rated it 5 of 5 stars

I loved this book. The political and courtroom drama is absolutely enthralling. The author explores both sides of the abortion controversy so thoroughly that it leaves the reader very well informed. If you're pro-life, you would probably hate it.

like · see review

Aug 23, 2012 Donna Kubiak rated it 5 of 5 stars

I seldom read fiction, but this book was riveting. I couldn't put it down. It makes one stop and think about how the political groups in this country are trying, and maybe succeeding, in keeping women from getting an abortion for any reason.

like · see review

Jul 02, 2009 Jeanette rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: all-fiction, lawyer-fiction, five-star-fiction

I thought this sounded familiar when Erin put it on her page. So I was looking at it yesterday at the library, and sure enough, it's one I've read. I agree with Erin's rating. This might even be worth a re-read one of these days.

1 like · like · see review

Jun 03, 2010 J. Robert Ewbank rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: a-good-read, mystery-thriller-suspense, political, novel

Richard North Patterson knows how to write. This novel is different from many of the others that I have rad of his but it is nontheless a good read.

J. Robert Ewbank author "John Wesley, Natural Man, and the 'Isms'"

like · see review

Mar 01, 2010 Rachael added it

This is really a 600 page drawn out restatement of the abortion argument that is so heavy in "legal-ese" that all the characters lack any sense of believability. I won't be reading anything else by him.

like · see review

Jul 21, 2012 Elaine rated it 3 of 5 stars

Borrowed from my attorney brother-in-law back in April 2001. My comments then: "intriguing, intricate, involved story; issues: late-term abortion; confirmation of Chief Justice; media involvement."

like · see review

Aug 02, 2011 Selket Nicole rated it 3 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this book but I can't help but think that it would have been so much more gripping if the author had lectured a little less. In both the parts about the trial and the confirmation proceedings I felt as though he belabored the various viewpoints (pro-choices vs. pro-life...democrats vs. republicans) until it wasn't as fun anymore.

1 like · like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 77 78 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend it | Stats | Recent status updates

combine
Other Editions (30)

More editions...

Genres

Thriller

17 users

Mystery

14 users

Politics

7 users

Suspense

7 users

Mystery > Crime

6 users

Thriller > Legal Thriller

3 users

Thriller > Mystery Thriller

3 users

Politics > Presidents

3 users

Womens

2 users

Law

2 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About Richard North Patterson

Richard North Patterson is the author of fourteen previous bestselling and critically acclaimed novels. Formerly a trial lawyer, Patterson served as the SEC’s liaison to the Watergate special prosecutor and has served on the boards of several Washington advocacy groups dealing with gun violence, political reform, and women’s rights. He lives in San Francisco and on Martha’s Vineyard.
Macmillan.com ...more

More about Richard North Patterson...

Books by Richard North Patterson

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Protect And Defend

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

Quotes from Protect and Defend

“Are you a consumer or producer?” — 2 people liked it

More quotes…

title link	preview: Protect and Defend
avg rating	preview: Protect and Defend Goodreads rating: 3.96 (1669 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/92958.Protect_and_Defend?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348248989l/92958.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/92958.Protect_and_Defend?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Protect and Defend by Richard North Patterson[/url]

Protect and Defend (Kerry Kilcannon #2)

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website