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Proportional Response
A hasty act, committed by a distraught American soldier seeking his version of justice, kills the grandson of a powerful Afghan Minister.
Seeking retribution, the honor bound Afghan asks his Iranian allies to enact revenge, inflicting pain on American civilians. On a day reserved for celebration, the attackers plan a daring, suicidal attack on one unsuspecting American Main Street. Boldly unraveling this plot in the midst of America's longest war is a keen American diplomat, Ben Brownwell.
Using his sharp diplomatic skills and the help of a beautiful British diplomat plus fellow national security professionals, Ben races against time to protect innocent Americans. Never knowing that his enemies are closer than he realizes, or that the attackers are driven by their own pursuit of glory and misguided faith, Ben assembles an incomplete picture of an attack no one could ever expect.
Harboring disbelief that a diplomat could discover what U.S. Intelligence missed and hampered by inflexible bureaucrats, Ben bends the rules to do the right thing. Careening towards an explosive confrontation in the American heartland with far-reaching consequences, ordinary and extraordinary people from different cultures, backgrounds, and religions fashion their own form of retribution. Each man and woman, driven by motivations as unique as their own fingerprint, must decide how far they will go to ensure they achieve their own form of proportional justice.
Seeking retribution, the honor bound Afghan asks his Iranian allies to enact revenge, inflicting pain on American civilians. On a day reserved for celebration, the attackers plan a daring, suicidal attack on one unsuspecting American Main Street. Boldly unraveling this plot in the midst of America's longest war is a keen American diplomat, Ben Brownwell.
Using his sharp diplomatic skills and the help of a beautiful British diplomat plus fellow national security professionals, Ben races against time to protect innocent Americans. Never knowing that his enemies are closer than he realizes, or that the attackers are driven by their own pursuit of glory and misguided faith, Ben assembles an incomplete picture of an attack no one could ever expect.
Harboring disbelief that a diplomat could discover what U.S. Intelligence missed and hampered by inflexible bureaucrats, Ben bends the rules to do the right thing. Careening towards an explosive confrontation in the American heartland with far-reaching consequences, ordinary and extraordinary people from different cultures, backgrounds, and religions fashion their own form of retribution. Each man and woman, driven by motivations as unique as their own fingerprint, must decide how far they will go to ensure they achieve their own form of proportional justice.
436 pages, Hardcover
Published November 11, 2021
About the author
Tim Enright
5 books6 followersTim Enright is a State Department Foreign Service Officer who has served in Iraq, Russia, the United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan, Nigeria, Albania, Turkey, and Sudan.
He previously served with the Peace Corps in Kazakhstan.
He is married with four children, hails from Minnesota, and although he and his family wander the world seeking adventures, when in the United States he now calls Virginia home.
He previously served with the Peace Corps in Kazakhstan.
He is married with four children, hails from Minnesota, and although he and his family wander the world seeking adventures, when in the United States he now calls Virginia home.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 2, 2021
Engaging from start to finish. Finished the book in 2 days. Plot is well-developed but moves swiftly enough to keep you on your toes. Proportional Response both insatiates the need for action but doesn't disappoint the reader seeking a more cerebral encounter. As the last several chapters suggest, I look forward to future endeavors with Ben, Kate and other characters that may be found in upcoming novels.
December 19, 2021
I have met Tim and his beautiful family so I might be slightly biased. I could not put this book down and I am slightly miffed at Tim because I missed a deadline for a writing project in my Doctoral program. If you, dear reader, are looking for a book that will take your mind out of your current world and help you to merge into the story of a criminal investigation as told from each of the character's perspectives this is a book for you. I found myself experiencing the full gambit of emotions while reading the story to include empathy, outrage, shame, and sympathy. Each of the characters is shaped for the reader in such a manner that it is hard to separate the hero from the villain so I would say you are really looking at the growth (mental and emotional) or each of the characters as shaped through a prolonged guerilla war which is based upon revenge and every action taken by each side forces a stronger reaction from the opposition.
If you are a reader who likes specific authors if you enjoy Tom Clancey, Clive Cussler, or Dan Brown I highly recommend that you read this book. It had the perspectives of each character written al la "Red October", the suspense and dog leg turns of any of the Adventures in Cussler's books, and enough truth to have the potential to be real al la "The Davinci Code". This budding author has huge shoes to fill with his second novel.
If you are a reader who likes specific authors if you enjoy Tom Clancey, Clive Cussler, or Dan Brown I highly recommend that you read this book. It had the perspectives of each character written al la "Red October", the suspense and dog leg turns of any of the Adventures in Cussler's books, and enough truth to have the potential to be real al la "The Davinci Code". This budding author has huge shoes to fill with his second novel.
December 15, 2021
From the first page to the last, I loved Ben Bromwell’s story. The story races through a half-dozen countries, providing an expert portrayal of the geo-political forces at play as Ben seeks to stop a terrorist plot against the American homeland. Fans of Clancy and Ludlum will love this book. I highly recommend it.
October 14, 2022
I'm way behind on my books!
As someone with a first novel about to drop, I read this first novel of Tim's to see what worked and what didn't. Writing is hard!
The plot was clever and held my attention until the end. That's the most important aspect to any story for me. I hope the three stars isn't seen as too critical, or that it puts anyone off reading it, but the story still needs polishing and several characters rounded out. There are some redundancies and repetitions within that could be eliminated. The book could be tightened up, basically. But a solid first novel.
As someone with a first novel about to drop, I read this first novel of Tim's to see what worked and what didn't. Writing is hard!
The plot was clever and held my attention until the end. That's the most important aspect to any story for me. I hope the three stars isn't seen as too critical, or that it puts anyone off reading it, but the story still needs polishing and several characters rounded out. There are some redundancies and repetitions within that could be eliminated. The book could be tightened up, basically. But a solid first novel.
August 11, 2022
A little slow in the beginning as the author set up the story, Proportional Response picked up and sprinted to an engrossing finish. I was left wanting to read more about Ben’s further adventures in the State Department. I can’t wait for the author’s next book…. I hope there is one.
December 30, 2023
This book is griping tale that hits very close to home. All of the facets of this novel could very well happen in our backyards. The fact the Mr. Enright has served in most of the places he speaks of adds to the realism. 'Proportional Response' should be a wake up call to all Americans and should be read by every elected official and every military commander.
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January 17, 2024To come.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews