Ellen Meeropol On Hurricane Island

Annotation

A math professor is seized by the FBI in ';a tense thriller . . . a vivid portrait of the emotional ride an abductee might experience' (Hampshire Daily Gazette). The anniversary of 9/11 is approaching, and federal agents have a suspected terrorist in their sights: a math professor named Gandalf Cohen. As a major hurricane threatens the northeast, they abduct Cohen and fly her to a secret interrogation center off the coast of Maine. Austin Coombs, a local resident, is a newly hired civilian guard assigned to the detention center. Henry Ames, a man of personal secrets, is the FBI special agent in charge of Gandalf's case and doubts the professor's involvement; Tobias, his second-in-command, disagrees, preferring violent interrogation. As the hurricane slams the shore, conflict detonatesand each character must choose a side if they're to survive the storm. Told by alternating voices,On Hurricane Islandis both a fast-paced political thriller and a literary examination of the sociopolitical storm facing our society. How far should government go in the name of protecting our national security? What happens when governmental powers of surveillance and extra-legal interrogation are expanded? How free are we?