Lisa’s life is further complicated at this time by her father. John Lambert is a United States Senator. Lisa has always tried to win his approval but to no avail. It was evident from the start that he wanted a son, not a daughter. No matter what she did growing up it was never good enough simply because she wasn’t male. When her father became aware that Lisa had accepted Wesley Hart’s case and had filed suit against the government, he demanded that she withdraw the case. With the full power of the United States Government against her, plus her own father, how can she go forward and even if she does, how can she possibly win the case?
The author has done an excellent job and presents an exciting, interesting, and intriguing novel. The book includes political maneuverings, spy and Green Beret action, court proceedings, and American Indian folklore. The undercurrent of the story reminds us of what governments are in a position to do to us. It is both quite scary and thought provoking."...Murder and Mayhem Book Club
"The degree of risk to be taken should never exceed that determined by the humanitarian importance of the problem to be solved by the experiment" - from the dust jacket.
Author Josef Wilson takes two major risks with his new novel, *Degree of Risk.* First of all, the suspense thriller is based upon *very* contemporary events. Set in that relatively short period of time between the September 11th terrorist attacks and the March 2003 invasion of Iraq, its timeline has already been overtaken by events. Secondly, the basic premise of the novel is that the Pentagon deliberately poisoned veterans of the first Gulf War in 1990-91, not a topic likely to win the author any dinner invitations from Secretary Rumsfeld and company. The premise is lent credence by a brief forward written by the daughter of a deceased weapons scientist at the U.S. military's Aberdeen Proving Grounds who claims that her father's death was directly attributable to his work.
As for the novel itself, *Degree of Risk* contains a plot worthy of the television show *The X-Files.* Hot shot young attorney Leesa Lambert, daughter of a United States Senator, and her best friend, former Special Forces operative Garth Porter, battle an evil Pentagon conspiracy to cover up the real cause of Gulf War syndrome. According to the story, injections given to most of the veterans who fought in Iraq the first time were a failed attempt by the military brass to inoculate the troops from the radioactive effects of new and deadly American weapons made with depleted uranium. The conspiracy is headed by the Secretary of Defense himself, who hires another former Special Forces operative to assassinate all potential witnesses. As America prepares to invade Iraq again, Lambert files a multi-billion lawsuit against the Pentagon, creating a media frenzy and alienating her from both her father and her politically minded fiancé. The story then splits time between the courtroom battles and the assassin's attempts to keep the cover up intact. Author Wilson is a very good writer who knows how to effectively build suspense. Whether or not you buy into the basis for his story, you'll find yourself inevitably pulled along by it. Befitting any good suspense novel, the climax is explosive and very satisfying.
Overall, an exciting and politically charged thriller that is certain to raise a few eyebrows....Brian D. Rubendall, Futures Mysterious Anthology Magazine
"This book is on par with ANYTHING Clancy has put out there! After the crisis America has just gone through, this book feels lifted from the headlines.".....Clint Gaige, Author, "Requiem For A Soul"
"I woke up in the middle of the night, and my wife was missing. I found her in the study reading my copy of The Fourth Branch. This is one of the best books I have ever read."...."Bill Ausley, USMC Fighter Squadron Commander, Viet Nam "After reading this book first published in June of 2000, it's hard to understand how anyone can claim we had no warning of what happened on 9-11. Josef Wilson paints a convincing portrait of the mindset of those who attacked our country. Although his account of "Hell Week" brought back painful memories, I can't wait to read the sequel.".....Frank Rogers, USN Gulf War Veteran, SEAL Team 6
"Written in the tradition of Tom Clancy-meets-John Grisham"...Peter Dolan, Creative Writing Professor, Georgetown University
"Riveting plot and compelling characters." ...Marcy Heidish, Edgar Award Winning Author, "A Woman Called Moses"
"Between broadcasting live news updates on 9-11, I tried to contact Josef Wilson in Washington DC. He'd been insisting for years America was going to be attacked by terrorists, and The Fourth Branch was his attempt to get the message out. In light of the events that had just occurred, I felt compelled to find out what he thought was going to happen next."....Gary Gross, Radio Personality/EMT
"It's uncanny how many similarities there are in this book to actual events that occurred over a year and a half after it was first published. The writing style kept me on the edge of my seat, and the suspense is practically unbearable. I am anxious to get my hands on the sequel."....Chester Smith, Producer-Outer Banks Murder Mystery Theatre
"This was the best book I have ever read. It is similar to what happened in NYC recently with the WTC. The author must have intuitive information or knows much more than anyone else in this country about the terrorists and their plans for killing people. Whatever info the author has, this book tells it beforehand. Too bad people did not realize this sooner"....Ursla, Overbooked.com, posted 9/13/01
"An interesting look at the Arab-Israeli conflict and how it touches not just Arabs and Palestinians, but people of all nationalities, all over the world. The villians and heroes aren't who you might expect, and one of the key bits of subtext to this book is that the battle over the "Holy Lands" has never really been as holy as we like to believe. If you like to be educated and entertained at the same time, I think you will really like this one. I guarantee you won't look at the Arab/Israel conflict the same way again!"....Dallas, Amazon.com, posted 1/4/01