Flashpoint, (Paperback)

Author Matthew H. Whittington delves into the lessons of American history and civics to take a speculative look at extreme dynamic relationships between American politics and the governed. In an age of real-time surveillance and instant response capabilities, what is to restrain a narcissistic megalomaniac from imposing by force his will over free people?

What makes this work of fiction unique is the readers themselves. Depending upon how far readers lean toward either extreme, they may identify the antagonists and protagonists completely differently. While the author almost certainly has his own views, Mr. Whittington does not force-feed those views on the reader. He accomplishes this by leading the reader along with the use of numerous point of view characters, each of whom views the events of Flashpoint through their own moral lense.

Flashpoint is a frenetically paced, politically charged drama. Within the story, the Flashpoint occurs at a specific moment though some might reasonably presume the events were set in motion far ahead of time in the exodus away from America's compromising middle. In this climate, a leader emerges in D.C., who operates on the mandate of an overwhelming election. The audacity of President Tinsley and those who support him suffocates balance within America and triggers an uprising. What happens next threatens to burn America down from within.

Across the country, a private military contract company called Patriots USA calls southern California home. Leading the company is Navy SEAL veteran, Graham Pinchot. Up until the Flashpoint, the company had survived on government contracts. All security is strewn upon the winds though when a government interdiction hits very close to home for Graham. What had once been the hand to feed has now become the threat to his existence and those who hold his values dear.

Who occupies the moral high ground? Who decides which side is right? How far is this fictional government willing to go in the name of retaining control? How can the little guys function in a modern world of instant surveillance and overwhelming firepower available to be brought to bear? Who is left in the middle between viewpoints to figure out what America will look like in a world where Americans view their own as enemies.