The consequences for United States and the world at large would be inconceivable if a state secret, compelling enough to assuredly destroy the US economy, was to fall in the hands of sworn enemy North Korea. Factual historical evidence suggests that this “cleverest weapon of mass destruction ever devised” does exist, though all evidence of the same has been systematically destroyed over the years. Having said that, doubts still remain whether the 16th Amendment to the Constitution, which calls for Federal income tax collection, was duly ratified by the individual states that are known to have done so — for the Amendment to come into effect.

If proven otherwise, this would question the legitimacy of income tax collection today in the US and would in turn lead to repayment of years of collection since the ratification of the amendment in 1913. The repayment would amount to billions over billions of dollars, destroying not just the US economy, but also China’s, United States’ largest creditor, and in turn the rest of the world too.

This is the premise used in New York Times bestselling author, Steve Berry’s new book, The Patriot Threat. Drawing on historical facts, events, and characters, it weaves a thriller, introducing only some snippets of fictitious elements to illustrate that income tax collection is illegal and proof of the same has been kept hidden.

The Patriot Threat is a thriller that fails to thrill

Some undeniable facts regarding the illegality of the 16th Amendment fall into the hands of the rogue exiled brother of North Korea’s Dear Leader, who is hell-bent on reclaiming the position for himself and using this crucial information for his benefit in trying to achieve this goal. Kim Young Jin is based on Kim Jong-nam who was heir apparent but a secret trip with one of his children to Disneyland in Japan infuriated his father so much that he was banished from his title and forced to live in exile in Macau.

Kim, who has never accepted that his illegitimate half-brother has taken his place, secretly communicates with Anan Wayne Howell, a young American writer who believes that federal income tax is illegal and has written a convincing book regarding the same and is hiding in Europe to escape prosecution for tax evasion.

The plot in Europe begins on a cruise where Howell is meeting Paul Larks, a retired undersecretary of the US Treasure Depart­ment, who possesses copies of classified documents that validate Howell’s theory and wants to pass them on to him.

“He found his gun and approached the door, heart pounding, lungs heaving. Remnants of the liquid still smoldered on the floor. The hall was clear and wet footprints led away. He followed them. At a corner, he stopped and glanced around, seeing no one. He advanced toward the elevators and studied the transom, noticing that the position-indicator displays for both cars were lit on 8 — this floor. He pressed the UP button and jumped back ready to fire. The doors opened. The right car was empty. The left held a bloodied corpse, dressed only in his underwear. The real guard, he assumed. He stared at the contorted face, obscured by two gaping wounds. Surely part of the plan was not only to eliminate all of the participants, but to leave no witnesses behind. He glanced inside the car and spotted a destroyed control panel.” —Excerpt from the book

When these documents, that are meant to “right a wrong” his country has committed, fall into the hands of Kim and his daughter Hana Sang, a chase across Venice and then Croatia begins with the American agents on ground tasked to ensure that Kim does not get away with them. Also in the chase are North Korean operatives who want Kim as desperately as the Americans.

The plot spans a single day and alternates between on-ground agent action in Europe, lead by Cotton Malone, a retired intelligence agent residing in Denmark, and officials in the White House, secret service and Justice department in the background in Washington D.C.

The Patriot Threat promises to be a fast-paced, urgent and compelling novel, but it falls short of the mark, lacking any brilliance, and fails to match contemporary thrillers. Despite using a premise that is as incredible as it is astounding, the book lacks urgency and fast-paced drama, and in the process manages to lose the reader’s interest at times. Given the plot, the narrative is slow, unnecessarily stretched-out in places, and bland. The writer fails to keep up the pace of the plot and the reader admittedly forgets that all the happenings taking place are within the span of just one day.

It’s a bit disappointing that for a spy novel there is little emphasis on characterisation of almost all the protagonists who without exception appear quite lateral. The reader fails to feel any attraction to, or fascination with them. The author probably thought that the outstanding plot would be the overriding factor of the novel, which after the initial chapters loses novelty and there is no remarkability of the protagonists to take over.

The Patriot Threat is a thriller that somewhat fails to thrill too much. Moreover, the book may not have universal appeal as it is deeply entrenched in the nuances and perplexes of American history in general and the constitution in particular.

The writer is a former Dawn member of staff.

The Patriot Threat
(Novel)
By Steve Berry
Minotaur Books
ISBN 978-1250058447
560pp.

The Patriot Threat is Steve Berry’s tenth book in his Cotton Malone series but can be read as a standalone too.

Published in Dawn, Books & Authors, July 3rd, 2016