From Publishers Weekly
Bodman, a deputy press secretary and later senior director of the National Security Council under Reagan, comes up with a cool premise for her debut thriller, but the book suffers from annoying minutiae, lame jokes and pedestrian plotting. Computer genius Cameron "Cammy" Talbot of Bandaq Technologies has developed a program whereby she's able to hack into the guidance system of an incoming cruise missile and redirect it back against whoever fired it. Meanwhile, a Muslim terror group bent on taking over Kashmir has stolen three Pakistani cruise missiles, one of which it has fired into India in an effort to provoke a nuclear response against Pakistan. Lt. Col. Hunt Daniels of the Air Force becomes involved with Cammy after someone tries to kill her, and romantic sparks fly: "She could feel the hard muscles of his arms encircling her in a velvet vice." Insider info can be invaluable, but knowing the color of the drapery in the Oval Office (gold) doesn't make up for a thriller that keeps dipping back into romance for its source of suspense.
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Review
“Checkmate is a fantastic first novel by a woman who knows the intricacies of Washington. Well worth the read . . . it will get your heart pumping.” —Vince Flynn, New York Times bestselling author of Consent to Kill
“Gripping and authentic.” —Lee Child, New York Times bestselling author of One Shot
“Karna Small Bodman’s Checkmate hits all the notes. Her years of firsthand White House experience shine through on every page of this fine debut international thriller—authentic, up-to-the-minute, and gripping.” —John Lescroart, New York Times bestselling author of The Hunt Club
“A fantastic story of how close our world is to the brink of ruin and how one courageous and determined woman fights to save us all. Karna Small Bodman writes with the eye of an insider, revealing all the secrets we wish we knew in a brilliant, heart-stopping tale.” —Tim Green, New York Times bestselling author of Exact Revenge
“Bodman takes on Washington like only a true insider can, weaving a frightening tale that feels both unerringly authentic and frighteningly real.” —Kyle Mills, New York Times bestselling author of The Second Horseman
“Karna Small Bodman draws on her unique background as a White House insider to inject high tension and authenticity into this high-stakes thriller. She writes with the smooth confidence of someone who truly knows the political landscape—and isn’t afraid to reveal all.” —Tess Gerritsen, New York Times bestselling author of Vanish
“Checkmate is a chilling and penetrating insider’s look at our national missile defenses, with an astonishing countdown that seems to be happening at this very moment.” —Katherine Neville, New York Times bestselling author of The Eight
“An inside story from an insider. A ripping tale of intrigue about an explosive region, but really about power and Washington. Bodman knows her stuff and lets us see and think about what really happens when the pressure is on and flawed people make decisions that affect us all.” —James W. Huston, New York Times bestselling author of Secret Justice
“Bodman brings us behind the scenes of military meetings, boardrooms, and parlors of the Washington power elite as her heroes race against time and terrorists in her thrilling debut novel, Checkmate. Suspense, romance, life and death scenarios . . . Checkmate has it all.” —Mary Alice Monroe, New York Times bestselling author of Sweetgrass
