The ACOLYTE: A Novel

by David Compton

Greer Whitaker is a rarity in a brilliant tactician as a campaign manager, as well as a man of principle. But when his conservative candidate for the Senate is arrested just weeks before the election, a devastated and disillusioned Greer is ripe for the picking, and the CIA taps him for a sensitive, potentially explosive national security operation.
A young idealist of the new conservative right, Greer is more determined than ever to serve his country in some meaningful way and, in doing so, to restore his now tainted reputation. So keenly does he feel this sense of mission that he never questions why he has been singled out for the job. Indeed, his confidence is running so high that he also never doubts his ability to handle the heated love affairs with two sexy but dangerous women who cross his path. Only after people start dying does Greer realize he's been duped - and at what cost. The heart-hammering suspense is unrelenting as Greer - initially blinded by his own hubris - now sees that he has unwittingly put his own life and the nation's security at risk, and must scramble for a way out of the deadly labyrinth.

400 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1996

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Reviews

[Margot · Rating 3 out of 5]

A 1996 fast-paced political thriller where Greer Whitaker joins the CIA and is tasked to find an internal spy. Unearthing a global conspiracy, it had a bit too many twists and turns for me, while he traveled from Atlanta, GA, to DC, Germany, Europe, and San Francisco not knowing who to trust or who could help him. Although confused at times and sometimes not believing how gullible Whitaker is, I kept reading because of the non-stop action. It includes some very violent scenes, if you can stomach that. I chose this because my friend who loaned me the book is also named David Compton, and I generally like thrillers in the spirit of John Grisham (who Compton says he saw in Oxford Mississippi and inspired him to write).
Note: it was re-released in 1998 under the title Executive Sanction.

[Chuck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Our hero, a young CIA agent, operates under cover trying to ferret out an intelligence leak in the U.S. government. An international thriller with a complicated plot. The telling of the story may be slightly overcooked but worthwhile. This book is also published under the title Executive Sanction.