My Reading Nook

Reading “No Safe Place” by Richard North Patterson gave me a sense of deja vu. I could have sworn I had already read this book, but realized once I got into it that the sense of familiarity came from another of Richard North Patterson’s books that I had read in January of this year titled “The Race” which is also about a presidential bid by a Senator.

“No Safe Place” was written in 1998; almost 10 years before before “The Race” and details the presidential bid by Kerry Kilcannon the son of Irish immigrants who grew up in New Jersey and saw first hand the corruption of the Jersey “Bosses”.

Where “The Race” dealt with mixed race marriage and the whole question of race and politics, “No Safe Place” deals with spousal abuse and the abortion issue and how it affects people who live with these issues.

Kerry’s father is a wife beater. Kerry and his older brother, Jaimie live in fear of the violence they see in their father and the fear that his violence will one day be turned on them. but Where Jaimie Kilcannon turns away from his family, Kerry vows to save his mother from his father’s violence one day.

Young Kerry is taken under his godfather, Liam Dunn’s wing and taught how to box and how to control his temper and more, how to read people. Kerry learns his lessons well and becomes a lawyer who begins his career under one of the Jersey Bosses, Vincent Flavio. He’s given his first spousal abuse case and ordered to get the case dismissed as the accused’s family is one of Flavio’s supporters. Although Kerry does as ordered, it leaves a bad taste in his mouth. He then refuses the shakedown that Flavio’s chief assistant perpetrates on all the young lawyers in the office citing the case as his last payment. From then on, all domestic violence cases go to Kerry who begins to make a name for himself as the supporter of battered women and abused children.

When Jaimie is assassinated as he campaigns to win the Presidency of the United States, Kerry is asked to fill his Senate seat. It’s that or allow the seat to go to another unscrupulous politician and Kerry is not happy with letting his brother’s legacy die in that manner.

It’s while serving in the Senate that Kerry meets and falls in love with reporter Lara Costello. Although Kerry is married at the time, his marriage is loveless and empty. His wife cares nothing for politics and will not live in Washington with Kerry preferring instead living in New Jersey where her job is. Kerry is a moral man, brought up in the Catholic Church. He wants a familiy and when he finds out that Lara is pregnant with his child, wants to divorce Meg and marry Lara. But Lara is afraid that this will destroy Kerry’s future as well as her own, so she has an abortion, accepts an overseas assignment from her employer and leaves the country for 3 years.

Now Kerry is running for President, Lara has been offered a news anchor position, but before her new job can start, the newsman assigned to the press corps that accompanies Kerry on the campaign trail breaks his ankle and Lara is sent to fill in for him during the last two weeks before the Democratic primary.

A document from a counselor Lara spoke with after her abortion, is given to a rival news paper by Kerry’s opponent with the hopes that a scandal involving Kerry will erupt and thereby defeat his chances of winning the primary. Unbenknowst to all, a killer is stalking Kerry with every intent on making him follow literally in his brother’s footsteps.

The thing that struck me the most about “No Safe Place” is that even though it was written nearly 10 years ago, the issues of the day are nearly 100% the same — gay rights, pro choice versus pro life, racism, spousal abuse, child abuse, health care, issues with senior citizens — they all STILL exist! They are all STILL issues that we must deal with. In 10 years we have made no progress at all on any of these fronts.

The tactics of the rival political parties is exactly the same today and the method of campaigning is also the same.