
Protect and Defend
A Novel
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Narrated by:
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Patricia Kalember
About this listen
A compelling new novel from Richard North Patterson—a major departure, and that confirms his place among the most important popular novelists at work today.
A newly elected president faces the unexpected chance to nominate a new chief justice of the Supreme Court. His first choice is a nationally respected Court of Appeals judge, a woman whose nomination faces two serious obstacles: a long-held personal secret; and the prospect that a volatile abortion case- a trial pitting a 15-year-old girl against her pro-life parents- will come before the court. And the Senate majority leader is determined to thwart the president's nomination for reasons that cross the boundary between the political and the personal.
As these stories intertwine, building in complexity and suspense, Patterson gives us the resounding clash of competing ambitions between the president and the majority leader; the equally momentous collision of science and culture in the courtroom; and, in an unprecedented novelistic depiction of the legal process from the perspective of the judge rather than the lawyers, a revelation of both how the judicial system works and how it intersects with politics, for better or for worse.
PROTECT AND DEFEND is a triumph—the definitive novel of politics and law at the dawn of the 21st century.
©2000 Richard North Patterson (P)2000 Random House, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
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In the year 2000, Senator Kerry Kilcannon's insurgent campaign against Vice President Dick Mason has come down to the last seven days—the time remaining until the California presidential primary. Whoever wins in California is likely to win the Democratic nomination, a prize that the Vice President is determined to deny Kerry at any cost. And for all the votes and enthusiasm his passion and personal magnetism have gained him, Kerry's problems are formidable.
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If Only It Had Happened That Way ...
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Trial
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A Black eighteen-year-old voting rights worker, Malcolm Hill, is stopped by a white sheriff’s deputy on a dark country road in rural Georgia. His single mother, Allie, America’s leading voting rights advocate, restlessly awaits his return before police inform her that Malcolm has been arrested for murder. In Washington, D.C., the rising young white congressman Chase Brevard of Massachusetts is watching the morning news with his girlfriend, only to find his life transformed in a single moment by the appearance of Malcolm’s photograph.
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Best work of fiction I've read this year
- By Ron Plummer on 10-15-23
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Degree of Guilt
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Christopher Paget is a trial lawyer with a famous past. As a young investigator he brought down a president. It cost him his relationship with Mary Carelli. Fifteen years have passed while Paget raises their son, seeking privacy. Until a murder changes everything.
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A must listen for most
- By Vichar4u on 12-14-04
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Silent Witness
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Story
Silent Witness begins in 1967, in a small Midwestern town. Seventeen-year-old Tony Lord, Lake City's star athlete, seems destined for great things. His driving ambition is precisely what attracts Alison Taylor, the daughter of the town's leading family, and it is what sets Tony apart from his two closest friends: Sam Robb and Sam's girl, Sue Cash. Suddenly, everything changes. Alison Taylor is brutally murdered, and Tony is the number one suspect. The town turns against him. His friendship with Sam is destroyed. And Tony leaves Lake City, vowing never to return.
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Caught me by surprise....
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Exile
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Performance
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Story
David Wolfe's life is approaching an exhilarating peak: he's a successful San Francisco lawyer, he's about to get married, and he's being primed for a run for Congress. But when the phone rings and he hears the voice of Hana Arif—the Palestinian woman with whom he had a secret affair in law school—he begins a completely unexpected journey. The next day, the prime minister of Israel is assassinated by a suicide bomber while visiting San Francisco; soon, Hana herself is accused of being the mastermind behind the murder. Now David faces an agonizing choice.
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Enlightening Listen
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Fall from Grace
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The mysterious, violent death of a prominent New England patriarch exposes a nest of dark family secrets in bestselling author Richard North Patterson’s twentieth compelling novel. Adam Blaine arrives on the island of Martha’s Vineyard to attend the funeral of his estranged father, Ben Blaine, a famous and charismatic writer who has served as patriarch of his clan for many years.
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The Usual Suspects
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No Safe Place
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Overall
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Performance
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In the year 2000, Senator Kerry Kilcannon's insurgent campaign against Vice President Dick Mason has come down to the last seven days—the time remaining until the California presidential primary. Whoever wins in California is likely to win the Democratic nomination, a prize that the Vice President is determined to deny Kerry at any cost. And for all the votes and enthusiasm his passion and personal magnetism have gained him, Kerry's problems are formidable.
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If Only It Had Happened That Way ...
- By Snoodely on 11-23-12
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Trial
- By: Richard North Patterson
- Narrated by: William DeMeritt
- Length: 18 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A Black eighteen-year-old voting rights worker, Malcolm Hill, is stopped by a white sheriff’s deputy on a dark country road in rural Georgia. His single mother, Allie, America’s leading voting rights advocate, restlessly awaits his return before police inform her that Malcolm has been arrested for murder. In Washington, D.C., the rising young white congressman Chase Brevard of Massachusetts is watching the morning news with his girlfriend, only to find his life transformed in a single moment by the appearance of Malcolm’s photograph.
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Best work of fiction I've read this year
- By Ron Plummer on 10-15-23
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Degree of Guilt
- By: Richard North Patterson
- Narrated by: Alexander Adams
- Length: 18 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Christopher Paget is a trial lawyer with a famous past. As a young investigator he brought down a president. It cost him his relationship with Mary Carelli. Fifteen years have passed while Paget raises their son, seeking privacy. Until a murder changes everything.
-
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A must listen for most
- By Vichar4u on 12-14-04
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Silent Witness
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- Narrated by: T. J. Edwards
- Length: 17 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Silent Witness begins in 1967, in a small Midwestern town. Seventeen-year-old Tony Lord, Lake City's star athlete, seems destined for great things. His driving ambition is precisely what attracts Alison Taylor, the daughter of the town's leading family, and it is what sets Tony apart from his two closest friends: Sam Robb and Sam's girl, Sue Cash. Suddenly, everything changes. Alison Taylor is brutally murdered, and Tony is the number one suspect. The town turns against him. His friendship with Sam is destroyed. And Tony leaves Lake City, vowing never to return.
-
-
Caught me by surprise....
- By Linda on 02-01-03
-
Exile
- By: Richard North Patterson
- Narrated by: Dennis Boutsikaris
- Length: 20 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
David Wolfe's life is approaching an exhilarating peak: he's a successful San Francisco lawyer, he's about to get married, and he's being primed for a run for Congress. But when the phone rings and he hears the voice of Hana Arif—the Palestinian woman with whom he had a secret affair in law school—he begins a completely unexpected journey. The next day, the prime minister of Israel is assassinated by a suicide bomber while visiting San Francisco; soon, Hana herself is accused of being the mastermind behind the murder. Now David faces an agonizing choice.
-
-
Enlightening Listen
- By Book and Movie Lover on 01-30-07
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Fall from Grace
- A Novel
- By: Richard North Patterson
- Narrated by: Dennis Boutsikaris
- Length: 9 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The mysterious, violent death of a prominent New England patriarch exposes a nest of dark family secrets in bestselling author Richard North Patterson’s twentieth compelling novel. Adam Blaine arrives on the island of Martha’s Vineyard to attend the funeral of his estranged father, Ben Blaine, a famous and charismatic writer who has served as patriarch of his clan for many years.
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Enjoyed it
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Very Good New Series!!!!
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
For as long as Lucia Gomez has been the police chief in the city of Highland Isle, near Kindle County, she has known that any woman in law enforcement must walk a precarious line between authority and camaraderie to gain respect. She has maintained a spotless reputation—until now. Three male police officers have accused her of soliciting sex in exchange for promotions to higher ranks. With few people left who she can trust, Chief Gomez turns to an old friend, Rik Dudek, to act as her attorney in the federal grand jury investigation.
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I've done them all...
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Critic reviews
"The pervasive cynicism about the golden handcuffs of campaign money and Washington's unceasing, Machiavellian maneuvering propels the drama at breakneck speed." --AudioFile
"PROTECT AND DEFEND IS A WINNER. . . . ENGROSSING FROM THE FIRST PAGE . . . Patterson crank[s] up a wild ride on a roller coaster of morality, politics, and emotions."
--USA Today
"POWERFUL . . . RIVETING FROM BEGINNING TO END . . . With Protect and Defend, Richard North Patterson lays further claim to being one of America’s best contemporary popular novelists." --The Detroit News
"BRILLIANT . . . PATTERSON HAS CAUGHT LIGHTNING IN A BOTTLE. . . . PUT THIS ONE AT THE TOP OF YOUR HOT LIST." --STEPHEN KING
What listeners say about Protect and Defend
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall
- William Waltrip
- 07-15-05
Brilliantly Written
This is a book about the Pro-Life/Pro-Choice issue. Patterson is brilliant, even awe-inspiring. The only reason it didn't give it 5 stars is my lack of interest in politics.
Pro-Life readers probably will not like this book.
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