Vale of Tears (novel): Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

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'''''Vale of Tears''''' is the third novel by [[Peter T. King]], a member of the Republican Party and the U.S. representative for New York's 2nd congressional district. Published in 2004, it is a thriller about a congressman, Sean Cross (who had first appeared as the protagonist of King's second novel, ''Deliver Us From Evil''), who must thwart a planned “dirty bomb” attack by Qaeda operatives working in Brooklyn and on Long Island.<ref name="times">{{cite web | url=http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/09/when-peter-king-er-sean-cross-saved-the-day/ | title=When Peter King, Er, Sean Cross, Saved the Day | work=[[The New York Times]] | date=March 9, 2011 | accessdate=March 26, 2013 | author=Noam Cohen}}</ref>

Some readers of the book noted the similarities and contrasts between King's earlier novels' treatment of Irish-American attitudes toward the [[Irish Republican Army]], and his depiction of Arab-Americans in this one, in light of King's statement that his research for the book had led him to conclude that "85 percent" of American mosques had leaders involved in "terrorist activities".<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A37808-2004Mar7.html?sections=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/nation "N.Y. Rep. King Criticizes Muslim Leaders"], [[Associated Press]] in ''[[The Washington Post]]'', Sunday, March 7, 2004.</ref><ref>John McCaslin, [https://www.questia.com/read/1G1-120399389 "Wheelchair Derby"]{{dl|date=July 2021}}, ''[[The Washington Times]]'', August 10, 2004.</ref><ref>Tom Deignan, [https://web.archive.org/web/20150924182808/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-95234147.html "SIDEwalks; Are Muslims the New Irish?"], ''[[Irish Voice]]'', April 6, 2004 {{subscription required|via=[[HighBeam Research]]}}.</ref> (In this book, King depicts a violent IRA splinter group that joining with Al Qaeda.<ref name="Cohen">Noam Cohen, [http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/09/when-peter-king-er-sean-cross-saved-the-day/?_r=0 "When Peter King, Er, Sean Cross, Saved the Day"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', March 11, 2011.</ref>)

[[Terry Golway]] of ''[[The New York Observer]]'' noted the connection between the novel and King's widely expressed criticisms of Muslims in the aftermath of the [[September 11 attacks]].<ref>[[Terry Golway]], [https://web.archive.org/web/20150924045508/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-106563966.html "From King's Pen, A Novel of Terror"], ''[[The New York Observer]]'', August 11, 2003 {{subscription required|via=[[HighBeam Research]]}}.</ref> Noam Cohen of ''[[The New York Times]]'' called it a "barely veiled 2004 thriller" with a lead character, Rep. Sean Cross, standing in for the author.<ref name="Cohen"/> In ''[[The Nation]]'', [[Michelle Goldberg]] called it "an execrable novel" but also "a fascinating book" given King's public positions.<ref>[[Michelle Goldberg]], [http://www.thenation.com/article/158473/hero-war-terror# "The 'Hero' of the War on Terror "], ''[[The Nation]]'', February 28, 2011.</ref>