Guest Post & Excerpt – Body Man by Al Pessin
Different lives can move along separate tracks for years, shaped by belief, experience, and circumstance. But when those tracks begin to converge, the collision can carry consequences far beyond the individuals involved. In Body Man by Al Pessin, that convergence drives the story forward.
From the White House to remote strongholds and unrest in the streets, the fallout of a failed assassination attempt pushes the country toward instability. A newly elected president becomes both a symbol of change and a focal point for opposition.
Spencer, his trusted aide, operates within the highest levels of power, navigating decisions that carry significant consequences. Carl, a former Marine sniper, is recruited by a militia movement convinced that action is necessary to protect the nation.
As violence spreads and institutions begin to fracture, both men continue forward, driven by their own understanding of duty. Leadership comes under strain, loyalties shift, and the situation grows increasingly volatile.
In the midst of it all, the distinction between patriot and traitor becomes difficult to define, leaving the outcome uncertain.
Amazon
This book will be released on April 21, 2026. Pre-order the book today
Excerpt
I woke up to what was really happening in America, and I did something. I defended it. I gave everything.
Because that’s what American patriots do.
And that’s what I continued to do, no matter what you think, even when the Corps fucked me, even when the world turned upside down and inside out, even when “defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic” became more of a curse than an oath.
I’m Carl Reddy and this is my story.
I know you’ll remember my name. Everybody will.
But also remember that I’m an American patriot. Always was. Always will be.
Guest Post
They say there’s a fine line between Brave and Foolhardy. And it’s not much farther to Crazy.
So where do I fit on that continuum, publishing an American political thriller at a time of, well, political thrills in America? And how did I do walking the political tightrope while delivering hyper-realistic action and plot twists grounded in my experience as a journalist covering the White House, the Pentagon, elections, and war zones
Well, the great thing about books in general and Body Man in particular is that you get to be the judge.
I first got the idea for Body Man in 2017, and no, I’m not a painfully slow writer. Around that time, I was offered the contract to publish my first book, Sandblast, and two sequels. So, I put Body Man aside to write Blowback and Shock Wave. By the time I picked up Body Man again, it was even more relevant. Maybe, too relevant.
America’s political divide was on full display and there was considerable reluctance to publish political fiction. But I pressed ahead, believing that a novel that cuts to the bone of the divide was more important than ever.
There is no shortage of nonfiction books exploring America’s 21st century politics, but I could find none that did so in a way anywhere close to what fiction can provide—sympathetic characters on both sides, with stories, problems, loves, hates, and motivations anyone can understand in an engaging, fast-paced story.
That’s the goal I set out with in 2017. And I believe that’s why early readers are proving the doubters wrong, describing Body Man with words like “relatable,” “riveting,” “unforgettable,” and “important.” It’s also the reason that the tag line on the cover is “Patriot or traitor? You decide.”
At a writers conference a few years ago, I asked a bestselling author whether it was a problem that some test readers liked my ostensible villain, Carl, more than my apparent hero, Spencer. He said, “Yes,” and laughed.
But I disagree.
I think the more you like Carl, the more invested you’ll be in the story and the more Body Man will achieve what I want it to. That’s not to say Carl is a hero. But it is to say he’s a human being. And you’ll find that Spencer is human and imperfect, too. Some readers may even see him as a villain of sorts.
So, perhaps Body Man reflects America in a way I hadn’t anticipated. Just like in today’s society, readers will see different realities in the same set of facts—who is good and who is evil, what is right and what is wrong, what is patriotism and what is treason.
And if I’ve done a good job, they’ll also at least have some understanding of why others see the opposite.
If you read Body Man, I can’t wait to hear what you think.
About the Author
Al Pessin is an award-winning author and veteran foreign correspondent whose decades of frontline reporting fuel his high-tension political thrillers. He’s covered war zones from Iraq to Afghanistan, interviewed militants in Gaza, and was once expelled from China for “fomenting counter-revolutionary rebellion.”
Before turning to fiction, Pessin spent nearly four decades with Voice of America, serving as a White House and Pentagon correspondent and reporting from global hotspots across Asia, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe. His debut thriller Sandblast launched the Task Force Epsilon series and was followed by Blowback and Shock Wave.
He lives in Florida with his wife and their Labrador, Rory.
