The Pinocchio Syndrome - Tapa dura

'The Pinocchio Syndrome may be the best thriller I've ever read -- easily the most inventive and controversial. A savage portrayal of people who will stop at nothing to seize power ! wildly readable.' Washington Post

An international thriller of political intrigue, personal betrayal and cutting-edge science, The Pinocchio Syndrome marks the debut of a brilliant new talent. The cruise ship Crescent Queen is attacked and vaporized by a hydrogen bomb while sailing in the Mediterranean. Soon afterwards, a puzzling and horrific 'living death' disease begins to appear in the United States and across the globe -- it becomes known as 'the Pinocchio Syndrome' and the world lives in fear. In America, the President, already in a weakened state after the Crescent Queen, is under attack from an ultra-right-wing billionaire, Colin Goss. Goss wants to oust the President and fight terrorism aggressively. And when the well-liked Vice President contracts the Pinocchio Syndrome, the people's confidence drops to an all-time low. The saving grace could be Senator Michael Campbell, a popular and media-friendly young senator. If he is selected as the new Vice President, hope and sanity could return. Meanwhile, journalist Karen Embry is following the case of the Pinocchio Syndrome when she finds herself on the trail of something about the disease that clearly does not add up -- something that smells like a cover-up. In a heart-stopping race against time, Karen must join forces with a natural enemy -- Secret Service agent Joe Kraig -- to hunt for the stunning truth behind a conspiracy that threatens to destroy the world.