The American Ambassador, Paperback

"A master American novelist." --Vanity Fair

"A gripping international thriller" about a Foreign Service officer--and the son who turns to terrorism to spite him (Los Angeles Times).

William North Jr. inherited his father's keen political instincts and passion for justice. But the last time Ambassador North saw his son he seemed like a stranger--and a hostile one at that. Now, just as North prepares to take a new post in Germany, reports emerge that Bill Jr. is aligned with a German terrorist organization.

Suddenly, a private conflict between father and son escalates to a matter of national security. North is faced with a terrifying dilemma as loyalty to family and country are directly at odds.

The American Ambassador is at once a riveting tale of suspense and a thoughtful meditation on the fragility of Western values in an age of terrorism.

"Haunting and persuasive . . . Charged with authenticity . . . A splendid book that is both thoughtful and fast-moving." --The New York Times

Ward Just is the author of fourteen previous novels, including the National book Award finalist Echo House and An Unfinished Season, winner of the Chicago Tribune's Heartland Award. In a career that began as a war correspondent for Newsweek and the Washington Post, Just has lived and written in half a dozen countries, including Britain, France, and Vietnam. His characters often lead public lives as politicians, civil servants, soldiers, artists, and writers. It is the tension between public duty and private conscience that animates much of his fiction, including Forgetfulness. Just and his wife, Sarah Catchpole, divide their time between Martha's Vineyard and Paris.