The Point of a Gun
Steven W. Kohlhagen
July 18, 2017
Edition Barenklau
ISBN-13:978-1545279748
ISBN-10:1545279748
America is experiencing a dramatic increase in terrorist attacks—by jihadists, white
Whoever is the true identity of the mysterious and powerful terrorist known only as Samms, the thrilling action of the vigilantes’ frequent murders of terrorists in the act and the attempts by investigators to discover the mystery of the rogues’ identities take the reader on a wild ride. As the President and his investigators struggle to discover the real identities of the vigilante leaders, the murders—both terrorist and vigilante—ratchet up.
The questions then become: what are the risks to America if the public gets wind of the vigilante murders? And what does the president intend to do with the senior Counterterrorism vigilante officials if, in fact, they are found alive?
An Interview with Steve Kohlhagen
How has the rise in terrorist acts in the US and worldwide influenced your writing?
The rise in world-wide terrorism–and the inherent conflict in democratic free societies in trying to deal effectively with terrorists, while being sensitive to and respecting individual freedoms–motivated and sparked the book. I am asking with my work if a democratic society can protect itself and remain free.
In your book, the central mystery is based on the identity of the vigilantes in the top of the U.S. Government Counterterrorism bureaucracy. How is this different from other thrillers?
The usual thriller identifies a specific crime-fighting protagonist and a set of "bad actors" hunting and being hunted. In The Point of a Gun not only are the true identities of the protagonists unknown, but the mystery unfolds as they are both the hunter (of terrorists) and the hunted (by the U.S. Intelligence community). These senior government officials are tasked with finding the vigilantes…who may be themselves!
How does setting affect your writing? Could the same book be set in other locations?
In this case, yes. I chose the settings partly from personal knowledge, but also partly for their ability to logically host each action sequence. For example, El Paso and Phoenix were great settings for scenes with Mexican drug cartels; Grand Central Station, Times Square, and the U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C. play host to jihadists and a symbolic target; Columbus, OH sets the scene for Somali jihadists; Colorado Springs, Co is the stage for a white supremacist militia; and Laramie, Wyoming for its historical role in American vigilantism
What is your writing process like? Do you have special routines or systems that help you?
I learned to multitask as an investment banker, managing trading activities. It has carried over into my writing. I love my characters and they, not I, actually write the story. So I'm always aware when I'm working on something else, that they are always crying out to me to get back to them, creating a continuous pressure for urgency to my writing.
In thriller writing, plot pacing is integral to an exciting story. How do you combine your pacing with other key plot points to great effect?
In The Point of a Gun, the main characters are forced into meetings with senior Counterterrorism officials and the President. Like all meetings, these are not exactly filled with excitement…! So the trick was to keep the reader aware of the progress of the meetings and the mystery, while fearing–and knowing–that the next terrorist attack was coming on the next page.
Steven W. Kohlhagen is an award-winning author, former economics professor at the University of California, Berkeley and former Wall Street investment banker who currently sits on several corporate Boards.
His novel Where They Bury You (Sunstone Press) received the National Indie Excellence Book Award for Best Western of 2014. The sequel, Chief of Thieves (Sunstone Press) was a 2015 Finalist in the same award as well as the 2015 USA Best Book Awards Fiction: Western category and was also a finalist for a 2014 Beverly Hills Book Award for Historical Fiction.
He has also published a murder mystery co-written with his wife, Gale, entitled Vanished (Sunstone Press). Steve and Gale divide their time between their homes in the San Juan Mountains and Charleston, South Carolina. Visit him at www.StevenWKohlhagen.com.
My Review
This book is about the increase in terrorist attacks—by jihadists, white
A group of vigilantes is taking out these terrorists before they can complete their goals. These people are a select group of people with different skills and knowledge. The President of the US is determined to find out who these vigilante people are, mainly because he objects to what they are doing, but rather because they are rogue government employees and it is illegal for vigilantes to do what they are doing. The President knows that what they are doing is for the good of the US but it is still wrong.
I found this book to be very fast paced and character driven, a real page turner. Even though these people are vigilantes and taking things into their own hands to eliminate the terrorist threat, I had to cheer for them. The author is knowledgeable in his facts about terrorism and terrorists to different countries and ideals. I always enjoy reading a book by an author that can stick to what he knows. In The Point of a Gun, the story is an exciting thriller that will leave you thinking, is there a group out there that is really anhilating the bad guys? I would not be upset if there was.
If you love a good political/mystery/thriller, then you will enjoy this book!
This review is done voluntarily!
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