Book Review: The 4 Phase Man

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

The 4 Phase Man     Amazon US HC Amazon Canada HC
Richard Steinberg
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Political Intrigue   Thriller
Doubleday, Apr 2000, $24.95, 368 pp.

Both men are former black ops agents who left the government to forge destinies of their own. They are all that are left of the elite 4 phase men and know they are each other’s equal in every way that counts to survive. Jerry “Xenos” Goldman lives in self-imposed exile on the Mediterranean Isle of Corsica. He struggles to find a way to live with the guilt caused by the fact that he is responsible for multitudes of deaths in government sanctioned activities. Colin “Canvas” Meadows has become a mercenary selling himself to the highest bidder, which this time happens to be the Peoples Republic of China.

The Chinese government knows that their nation cannot be the dominant world power through overt acts of aggression. However, after a quarter of a century of patient planning, they believe they can not only neutralize but assimilate their most deadly opponent on the global scale. Nobody’s Safe from this plot. They have recruited and turned a charismatic young American, highly placed in government circles, who wants their help in getting him elected President of the United States. Canvas must insure that the Chinese plan works flawlessly so that their Manchurian Candidate becomes the free world leader. Xenos must stop his former cohort and in turn destroy the plan.

THE 4 PHASE MAN is a powerful chilling political thriller that modernizes the classic MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE with the impact of modern communications and information technology. The two protagonists participate in the ultimate cat and mouse game. Though they are mirror images of one another in almost every way, their motives are dramatically different. Richard Steinberg has written an appealing but chilling tale that will provide him many accolades and bestow grandmaster status on him.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner