Realistic Thriller

A Frighteningly Realistic Thriller That’s An Eye-Opener (NAPSA)—A mysterious and deadly disease that spreads with its cause and cure unknown; a government cover-up that reaches as high as candidates for the White House’s executive offices; a handsome young senator who seemingly hasit all but really has a scandalous past; and a plot to kill the president. These are the elements that confront readers in whatcritics are calling an explosive debut novel and the ultimate contemporary thriller. David Zeman’s block- buster debut novel, The Pinnochio Syndrome (Doubleday, $24.95), depicts a riveting political intrigue with such chilling immediacy that it has already caused a stir overseas. Is one novelist’s vision a blueprint for mapping the future? A man-made biochemical weapon is employed to assassinate the vice-president; the mastermind behind a genocidal virus was responsible for a WTC-like disaster that is blamed on foreign terrorists; the wife of a vice-presidential candidate gets kidnapped and there is heated debate over whether to pass a Constitutional Amendmentto allow for a special election to name a new president during a timeofcrisis. These are just some of the story lines in David Zeman’s very readable thriller. As this generation deals to struggle with the terrorists’ threat, The Pinocchio Syndrome depicts a plausible scenario Ad An explosive debut novel about a mysterious disease, a government cover-up and a young senator determined to stem therising panic. of the crisis we live under and reveals how far people will go to make their political ambitions a reality. The novel opens us up to a dialogue on our country’s political fate, national security and technological capabilities. Only with the imagination and vision of a novelist can we really explore the possible paths our nation is heading towards. The book is available at bookstores everywhere.