Root and Branch

Roger Zorn is the head of a defense contractor currently working with the United States Government. He is a passenger on a military plane flying to a secure site, when a cargo drop alarms his senses. He aids in the deployment of the cargo, giving a nudge to the now plummeting refuse. His cause for alarm is twofold: They’re throwing bodies out the back, and one was most recently last seen alive before boarding the plane. Events in the preceding months have led up to this shocking denouement. The United States has been the victim of terrorism, attacks that hit the Pacific Northwest and the Northeast. The weapon used to inflict most of the damage was an electromagnetic pulse weapon. The infrastructure of the country has been wounded, casualties high. The armed uprising, or intifada, by militant Islamists has begun.

The US Government wants revenge; the current administration is beset by infighting. What is the best way to handle incarcerated terrorists but also potential terrorists? Where do civil liberties and rights fit in with respect to fighting this new war? Roger Zorn’s firm seeks a contract to aid in the War on Terror. Zorn’s company possesses a test that identifies high-level/risk suspects worthy of detainment. Zorn’s name carries gravitas but also some baggage: his father ran the firm but also had unsavory connections. The anti-terror hawks look to crush the intifada, along with radical elements within the United States. Margaret Slattery is an attorney in the Office of White House Counsel. She is engaged in a foundering effort to have reason brought into the actions taken by the president and his men. She is skeptical of Zorn and his company.

As the fighting continues in major cities, men and women are being seized off the streets. Connections to terrorist groups and/or radical left groups serve as evidence of intent to harm the country. Standing up to the new order merits pushback that could ruin your life. As Zorn’s company’s product becomes the standard for intelligence gathering, Zorn recognizes the cons if it is placed in the wrong hands. Men and women in power with bad intent will run roughshod over civil rights. Will he do the right thing, or will he risk losing his own humanity?

Root and Branch is a powerful book evoking memories of the dark days of post-9/11. The author does a masterful job of conjuring the various feelings of people in the wake of terrorist attacks. The inertia of a crippled government is portrayed deftly, the squabbling among men and women lobbying the president vivid and realistic. Author Preston Fleming tackles a well-trod subject and does well in the process. A book to be read and deeply pondered.