The Sentinel

by Gerald Petievich

A White House Secret Service agent specializing in electronic surveillance has been blown away by a masked gunman. The Aryan Clan, a neo-Nazi group, has taken credit. Secret Service Special Agent Pete Garrison fears it's more than a warning shot delivered by extremists. His first lead is an informant who claims that the Aryans have positioned one of their own in the White House. But it's the second lead that carries the most shattering implications - a blackmailer who knows of Garrison's love affair with the First Lady. He has the photos to prove it: evidence that would frame Garrison with the perfect motive for murder.

Garrison's last option: infiltrate the President's most powerful circles of defense…and outguess the killer's next move.

Genres: Fiction, Thriller

384 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Gerald Petievich belongs to that tiny group of writers who came to crime fiction from careers in law enforcement. He has been an Army counterspy and a U.S. Secret Service agent, using his real life experiences to achieve verisimilitude in his fiction. His novels are known to come as close as any in the mystery- and-thriller genre to a genuine realism. Three of his novels have been produced as major motion pictures.

Gerald grew up in a police family. His father and brother were both members of the Los Angeles Police Department. He attended the Defense Language Institute in Monterey and later served in Germany as a US Army Counterintelligence Special Agent. As Chief of the Counterespionage Section, Field Office Nuremberg, he received commendations for his work during the 1968 Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia.

In 1970 he joined the United States Secret Service where as a Special Agent he spent fifteen years engaged in duties relating to the protection of the President and the enforcement of Federal counterfeiting laws. It was during a long-term Secret Service assignment in Paris, France that Petievich discovered the works of Per Wahloo & Maj Sjowall, Graham Greene and John le Carre, and decided to become a writer. Later, while serving in Los Angeles as the US Secret Service representative to the Department of Justice Organized Crime Strike Force, Gerald's schedule consisted of rising at 4 AM to write before going to his government office.

In 1985, Gerald left the Secret Service to pursue his writing career full-time.

Reviews

[Shauna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was captivating. Petievich’s experience in the Secret Service lent an element of credibility. The book was (of course) better than the movie until the end—I preferred the movie culprit, shockingly. I’ll definitely pick up another of his novels, though.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most mystery novels that feature political elements in them have the tendency of getting mired in their own pretentiousness. This is most especially true in stories heavily featuring the White House and all its glory (with due respect to the late Tom Clancy; I love you man, but some of your Jack Ryan novels were a little contrived and/or convoluted).

Enter crime writer Gerald Petievich, a former United States Secret Service Special Agent from 1970 to 1985. This lengthy experience allowed him to pen mystery novels that feature the everyday lives of secret service agents and the conspiracies that they have to uncover.

One of his works, The Sentinel, tells of such a plot.

An extremist faction, the Aryan Clan, has started wreaking havoc: they just struck the first blow on the White House Secret Service, and intends to up the ante. In comes Pete Garrison, a veteran service agent who believes that the neo-Nazi group is plotting on something bigger, which could even endanger the life of the President. Suddenly, the blackmailing begins one by one, culminating in a big twist: Garrison is having an affair with the First Lady. Once the extremists act on their plans, they could use Garrison’s love affair as incriminating evidence for masterminding the attacks. Using his experience, Garrison is left with no other choice but to solve the mystery on his own, even if it takes his life just to outstep his unknown enemy.

This explains my belief why political mystery/thriller novels seldom work to perfection—one would need a writer to be knowledgeable even of the innermost machinations and absorbed enough to keep his readers engrossed throughout the story. One of the things worthy of discussion is Petievich's use of a neo-Nazi group as the extremists. Things could have been more rancorous had Petievich elected to use other factions as villains (yeah, yeah, it’s a bad idea; but why not?). The extremist ideologies of the Aryan Clan for me were not really convincing enough to compel them to spearhead those attacks, but hey, it could have been worse. Also, the affair plot is a little pretentious for me, although, given Petievich’s career, it might be happening under our noses.

Despite having enjoyed the book, I still believe that To Live and Die in L.A. is Petievich’s best work and that The Sentinel is at a far second. Nonetheless, this novel is a serviceable read, with enough grips under its belt to keep the reader engaged.

Gerald Petievich is no Tom Clancy, not even close to a John le Carré; but The Sentinel could at least give Clancy and le Carré a run for their money.

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A thriller about a mole in the Secret Service and a plot to assassinate the president. It was made into a movie with Michael Douglas and Kim Basinger. The movie was a very chopped down version of the novel and didn't really do it justice. The novel is of course much more detailed, the plot is more intricate, more characters are involved and the book had a more believable ending. Petievich also wrote To Live and Die in LA another thriller made into a movie where the book is better than the movie. I liked both movies, don't get me wrong, but the books are better!

[Manoj Saha · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Sentinel (2006 film)

[Elesa Labanz · Rating 4 out of 5]

These "one man saves the world" are my version of the bodice ripper. I sprinkle them throughout the books I read because I just think they're fun. I will admit that just once I'd like to read a book where someone at the top of the food chain says "Hey, this looks an awful lot like a frame-job" instead of it always being the lowest person. I guess I'm just not cynical enough to believe that everyone in authority is stupid. Everyone? Really? Of course, in this particular case, that's not exactly what happens so I'm speaking more generally.

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

Peter garrison, a secret service agent, was demoted from protecting "the man" to the first lady. He takes advantage of the situation and has an affair with her. He is at the top of his game, ready to retire also. Next thing he knows, he is being hunted down by his own cohorts for an assassination plan of the man.
I liked the pacing and story. I had figured out the bad guys pretty early, but still enjoyed the story.

[Mario · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very tightly written, interesting little thriller.I was even surprised a bit by the mystery, which is not often true in a book of this type. I wasn't very surprised, mind you, but a little bit.

Having read the synopsis of the movie, I can safely say that this book and the movie version are two completely different stories. I'm actually surprised by how much was changed.

[John Chapman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Did not realize that I had the DVD that was made from this book. It is a good fast moving story. Also until now did not know the same author had written "Live and Die in LA". This was another decent movie.

[Pete · Rating 1 out of 5]

Within a half hour of starting this novel the reader will be wondering how something this bad gets published.