Government Secrets-Biological Weapons-Human Subjects

Living Proof- A new novel by Peter J. Thompson.

In this era of heightened government secrecy, when formerly commonplace information has been classified, when biological weapons could be as close as a letter in the mail, when war is always at hand, is it possible that a rogue sector of the government is developing new forms of biological weapons? And using human guinea pigs to test them? This is the basis for Living Proof (Berkley Mass Market; March, 2003; $6.99), by Peter J. Thompson. While fiction, the story deals with several important current issues: capital punishment, biological warfare and government secrecy
   With a plot that could have been torn from newspaper headlines, Thompson combines biological warfare, conspiracy theory and medical experiments in this suspenseful thriller that readers will find impossible to put down.
Cindy Penn -- Editor Wordweaving.com

   A fast paced dark thriller that takes abuse of power by the government to dizzying new heights. Living Proof will keep you up all night.
Kathy Thomason --    Murder and Mayhem Book club

   Peter Thompson, a new name in suspense, writes a spellbinding, chilling thriller.
Marion E. Cason -- I Love A Mystery Newsletter    

   In a secret underground facility surrounded by miles of Texas wasteland, the U.S. military is developing new forms of germ warfare - and they need human subjects for their research. Who better to use than the men on Death Row after the world has watched their mock executions"? That is until one of them, Ramon Willis, a wrongfully convicted man, escapes. As he is pursued by trained killers, and the target of his own country, he realizes that the only way to break free is to bring down the whole crooked operation.
I first got the idea for Living Proof when they executed Karla Faye Tucker in Texas a few years back," Thompson said. Karla Faye was the methamphetamine crazed axe murderess who became a born again Christian while in prison. The week before her execution there was a real circus like atmosphere in Huntsville, Texas, the site of the death chamber. Hundreds of people gathered in the square across from the prison. On one side of the square, priests and nuns led candle light vigils; on the other side, hawkers sold t-shirts and fraternity brothers chanted and drank beer. This case crystallized the whole capital punishment debate. Her supporters noted that she had changed in prison, and the person they were going to kill was not the same as the one who had committed the crime. Others just wanted vengeance, or the chance to party while it all went down. Watching all this got me thinking -- what if they didnt really execute her? What if she were still alive? The whole novel flowed from that idea."
Thompson lives near Chicago with his three sons. When not writing, he enjoys painting and following politics and current affairs. He is currently working on his second novel. You can visit Thompson at his web site, www.peterjthompson.net. Or at www.penguinputnam.com

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LIVING PROOF
By Peter J. Thompson
Berkley Mass Market: March 4, 2003: $6.99
ISBN: 0-425-18906-6