Gun Men: A Novel

From Publishers Weekly This compelling first novel utilizes the techno-thriller format to address a controversial subject. A madman attacks students at a California elementary school with an assault rifle, and even before the victims are buried, a spokesman for the National Association of Gun Owners apears on television defending the right to bear arms. Vietnamese refugee Tran Van Duong, who lost his daughter in the massacre, hires professional hit man Elliot Brod to take an eye for an eye by killing the NAGO spokesman. In return, NAGO sends its security chief, Jamison Conners, after Brod. Friedman describes contemporary assassination techniques, heavily dependent on computers and electronics, with an expertise and energy reminiscent of Frederick Forsyth's in The Day of the Jackal. His vivid depiction of a U.S. in which "gun men" roam the streets unchecked further enhances his work's appeal for fans of the genre. Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Library Journal In a polished and smoothly written first novel, Friedman has created a tale that is suspenseful, entertaining, and a powerful statement about gun control at the same time. When a group of schoolchildren are gunned down by a madman on their own playground, one of the grieving fathers decides to take revenge in an unorthodox way--he hires a highly skilled hit man to kill the spokesperson for the National Association of Gun Owners (NAGO). Once that deed is accomplished, NAGO's top brass send their own "hit man," Security Chief Jamison Conners, to find the killer and exact revenge. Suddenly, the hunter becomes the hunted, and a chilling game of cat-and-mouse ensues. Friedman combines deft characterization with a fast-moving narrative, a soupcon of mystery, and a final twist to make this a fine page-turner. This is recommended for all fiction collections.