Palisadian Author Unleashes New Political Thriller

By GABRIELLA BOCK | Reporter

Local estate-attorney-turned-author Ronald Barak can take an event as dreary as a Supreme Court hearing and transform it into a gripping, nail-biter of a political page-turner.

In “The Amendment Killer,” Barak, a 20-year Palisadian, weaves the abduction story of a young girl with the timely Supreme Court hearing on the implementation of the 28th Amendment—a fictionalized, yet politically relevant attempt to thwart government corruption.

The book is a multiview tale of twists that follows 12-year-old Cassie Webber, a spirited and extremely self-aware girl who is kidnapped and kept locked inside a dusty basement. Tensions rise as Webber, a diabetic, struggles to keep her composure despite being trapped without access to her insulin supply.

Meanwhile, the young lady’s fight for survival is juxtaposed with her grandfather, Supreme Court Judge Arnold Hirschfeld, as he prepares to vote on the historic and extremely controversial 28th Amendment.

As the story evolves, Barak masterfully conveys the incredible sense of trepidation that washes over Hirschfeld when he receives a text message from his granddaughter’s captor just as the courtroom cameras begin rolling: “Vote ‘no’ or your granddaughter dies.”

As the reader quickly finds out, Webber’s kidnapping is part of a greater plan to thwart the amendment’s passing; Having been the only judge to remain publicly quiet about his position, Hirschfeld is the gridlocked amendment’s only perceivable swing vote.

Interestingly, Barak has also chosen to follow the journey of Webber’s captor, Thomas T. Thomas, a move that inserts the reader directly into the mind of the mad.

In his chapters, the author’s intimate examination of Thomas’ obsessive and fanatical personality heightens the story’s anxiety by demonstrating a clear understanding of its villain’s deranged motives.

New to the literary world, Barak wrote his first book “The Puppet Master”—which will be released as a prequel to the “Amendment Killer” in March 2018—on a dare from his friends.

“I had no intention of ever becoming a writer,” Barak revealed to the Palisadian-Post. “But then a couple of years ago a few friends of mine bet me that I wouldn’t do it—so naturally I went home and told my wife that I was going to write a novel.”

Just like that, Barak began drafting the legal thriller that is already receiving praise from advanced copy readers all over the world, including bestselling author Lee Child, whose Jack Reacher novels have served as a great inspiration to the up-and-coming legal genre writer.

Other inspiration comes funneled directly from his own life: Much like his child protagonist, Barak also suffers from diabetes, a commonality that has allowed the author to pen his young character with realistic personality traits.

“The reason Cassie is so self-sufficient is because, as a diabetic, she has to be,” Barak explained. “People who have diabetes must be ultra aware of their bodies or else really bad things can happen to them.”

In the story, Webber is equipped with a pump that attaches to her stomach and delivers insulin to her body when needed. Unfortunately, she does not have enough of a supply to last more than a day or two and must rely on other methods, like running back and forth, to keep herself stable.

For Barak, writing a strong character with diabetes has given him the opportunity to provide a voice for others who are suffering from the disease.

And because the issue is so close to the author, he and his wife Barbie are donating 50 percent of the book’s sales to diabetes research and education.

“I’m not much of a plotter,” Barak told the Post. “I’m what I like to call a ‘pantser’—meaning I write by the seat of my pants.

“I wasn’t exactly sure where I was going with all of this, but you know, it’s actually quite fun.”

Released on Nov. 1, Barak’s “The Amendment Killer” can soon be found in the Palisades Branch Library and wherever books are sold.