Jenifer Kay Hood

Cold Fusion Jenifer Kay Hood

It's 2029, three years after the Second Civil War. The eight nations of the former United States are still squabbling over borders and trade. Two journalists with a complicated past have uncovered a plot to test directed energy weapons in Pennsylvania before using them for a continental takeover. Can determined journalists, dedicated patriots and their Canadian allies stop a power hungry trillionaire before he destroys what's left of American freedom? "Cold Fusion is a brilliant, convincing fiction of action and adventure taking place during the next two decades. Jenifer Kay Hood writes with a fast-paced, effortless style that compels the reader to turn each page. She includes many intriguing touches, like describing the meals at the Sy Opps café in such a way that the reader salivates. The author creatively provides minute detail about each state: difficulties with their neighbors, industries, presidents, and population, and what they want from each other. This information must have involved considerable research and represent a substantial contribution to the success of the book. She includes many characters, and all described with enough detail for me to understand them and their motivations. I found the personality, Evelyn Langhorne, gratifying, she is old-school, patriotic and fearless, and helps first Mark Davis and then Drake Swanson get away from danger. I encountered a significant problem with this novel: the use of the names of real people. The actions and motivations imbued to the current President of the U. S. are disrespectful and inaccurate and represent the opposite of the work accomplished by him. The use of actual names in a work of fiction could be libelous unless the author has permission. I also did not understand the relevance of the non-materializing lesbian relationship of the First Lady. It had some shock value but did not add a connection to the story. I want to rate Cold Fusion 4 out of 4 stars because of its creativity, ingenious descriptions of the problems of the eight states, and excellent writing. But while it uses actual names in such a disparaging way, I cannot provide the top rating. " --Abacus, OnlineBookClub.org