Author Makes Enemies with Trump-Inspired Character

Trump supporters alienate author's work, which contains a character based on Donald Trump

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Feb 04, 2021, 14:01 ET

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., Feb. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Bestselling author Kenneth Eade recently released "An Evil Trade," the fifth novel in his award-winning Paladine Political Thriller Series, but the reaction from readers has been as divided as the last presidential election. In keeping with past works, Eade masterfully weaves real-life issues like terrorism and illicit trafficking into a harrowing, twist-filled narrative in this fifth installment of the series.

The novel revolves around the character of Robert Garcia, a free-lance assassin who earns a cult-hero status on social media as "Paladine," a terrorist killer. In reality, Robert does not select his own assignments; they are chosen for him by his employers. In the case of "An Evil Trade," the tradeoff is Robert's newest assignment is to assassinate the president of the United States in exchange for his freedom. The rub is that the president character is modeled after the 45th president, Donald Trump, and many of his supporters are repulsed by the description of the character in the book.

"I make no favorites and have criticized every recent president in my novels," said the author. "That's why this genre is called political fiction. This particular character has very colorful attributes, and they were described correctly."

The entire series can be found on Amazon at: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074C9WX38

Fans of David Baldacci and Robert Ludlum will enjoy the action and breakneck pace of the Paladine series. Eade's work is distinguished by his willingness to broach true-to-life political situations and comment on the darker sides of the modern world, no matter how controversial the subject may be. Although fiction, "An Evil Trade" makes a powerful statement about corruption, and what happens to necessary men when the government decides their services are no longer needed after all. As Paladine has learned well, "The power to kill does not come without responsibility."

In her 5-star review of "An Evil Trade," Jennifer Ibiam of Readers' Favorite hails Eade's work as "an engaging, fast-paced novel" that blends fact and fiction to feel "like an action movie." The books comprising the Paladine Political Thriller Series have been honored with several prestigious designations, including the RONE Award and the Readers' Favorite Silver Medal. "Paladine," the first in the series, was a quarter-finalist in Publisher's Weekly BookLife Prize for Fiction.

Kenneth Eade's fictional character, Paladine, has been likened to a modern-day Mitch Rapp or Jason Bourne. Publisher's Weekly describes the series as, "A well-written and fast-paced thriller, the author demonstrates skill not only with plot, but with character -- and character is what makes this book stand out. An ill-fated love story and an irresistible dog only deepen what could be just another hit-man-killing jihadist story."

Author Kenneth Eade is a Top 100 thriller author with over a dozen books translated into multiple languages. Eade practiced international law for 30 years before publishing his first novel to great critical acclaim. Best known for his legal and political thrillers, critics praise Eade as "one of our strongest thriller writers on the scene."