Tripwires

Richard North Patterson is the author of twenty-three novels, sixteen of which have been New York Times bestsellers, as well as a nonfiction narrative of the 2016 presidential campaign. A former trial attorney, he is a political commentator whose regular columns and articles have been published in The New York Times, The London Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, USA Today, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, The Bulwark, and elsewhere. The author lives between Jacksonville, Florida, and Martha’s Vineyard.

Praise for Tripwires:“From the Roberts Court’s transformation into a rubber stamp for right-wing billionaires, to corporate-backed Republicans’ repeated refusals to hold a lawless president to account, Richard North Patterson rightly identifies many of the forces that cast a lengthening shadow over the three branches of American government.”—Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, author of The Scheme“In his inimitably readable and invariably informative style, the bestselling author Richard North Patterson hits a homer yet again. Everybody should read his fascinating take on our troubled times. And for anyone who hasn’t totally given up hope, Tripwires offers wise advice on how best to reclaim the democracy we’re now in imminent danger of losing.”—Laurence Tribe, professor emeritus, Harvard Law School, and author of Uncertain Justice“This brilliant tour de force draws upon Richard North Patterson’s unique career, combining his astute analysis as a lawyer and celebrated political commentator with his captivating prose as a bestselling novelist. Beyond his illuminating assessment of our descent from democracy—for which he fairly distributes blame among many actors, of both major political parties—he compellingly lays out the path back.”—Nadine Strossen, former national president, ACLU“Richard North Patterson is a gifted storyteller, a civic dynamo, and a wise student of politics and history. Tripwires is a brilliant, step-by-step explanation of how American democracy reached this point of crisis. Many things had to go wrong to get us here, and Patterson identified them all. And he doesn’t leave us hanging. He also offers a path forward and administers a strong dose of hope.”—E.J. Dionne, Jr., professor, Georgetown University, and co-author (with Miles Rapoport) of 100% Democracy"Richard North Patterson's Tripwires answers the two most important questions that face the country in this perilous moment of rising authoritarianism: How did we get here? How do we escape it? With a deep grasp of recent historical events and how they have built into a rising crescendo of distrust and dissatisfaction, he guides us to a better understanding of the rise of Trumpism. But even more important, he provides a path forward out of this darkness with a plan to make the country work again for all of us. It's a tour de force of history and policy that will make you more hopeful for the future."—Neera Tanden, CEO of the Center for American Progress“A modern-day Tocqueville, Richard North Patterson marshals an immense amount of research to show, incisively and readably, why we are now in danger of losing our democracy—and how we can recover from our current malaise. Tripwires makes sense of the past quarter century and charts a path forward. It is required reading for anyone who cares about the future of democracy in America.”—Max Boot, author of Reagan: His Life and Legend“Richard North Patterson, one of my favorite novelists, bring both his literary skill and his sharp insight into recent American history to deliver a sobering wake-up call about the forces that have pushed the nation ‘to the edge of the abyss.’ From the Bush v. Gore decision in 2000, through Republican efforts to downplay Donald Trump’s ties to Russia, to the Supreme Court’s sweeping grant of presidential immunity from criminal prosecution, Patterson incisively examines the developments that led to what he calls ‘Trump’s American Autocracy.” Reassuringly, he also offers a path forward from the country’s current predicament. ”—Allan J. Lichtman, professor of history, American University, and author of Conservative at the Core“An impassioned indictment of a flagging system.”—Booklist“Aggrieved and angry, just the thing to read before the midterm elections.”—Kirkus Reviews