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Synopsis Reviews
Eight of the first forty-two U.S. presidents have died in office, four of them by assassination. The timing of these presidential deaths suggests an unusual pattern--the presidents elected every twenty years from 1840 through 1960 died in office. Did The 20-Year Jinx end when Ronald Reagan barely survived an assassination attempt in 1981? 

The following is a sampling of the critical praise for THE JINX:

"Fast-paced action scenes move the drama along at a good clip...Kahn's debut effort packs a punch."

—Publishers Weekly

"Blending a flair for history, a convincing sense of the inner workings of law firms, and more than a touch of Y2K apocalyptic folderol, Kahn has concocted a highly readable thriller...The Jinx is a remarkably well-crafted book."

— Legal Times

"Kahn has produced a first-rate novel that ranks with John Grisham and Frederick Forsyth."

—Midwest Book Review

"The Jinx is a clever, well-crafted pageturner that weaves history, politics and the law into an unconventional Washington novel, which, at its best, raises important questions about the state of overt, systemic and subtle racism in the U.S. and in the minds of its citizens and leaders...As campaign rhetoric has taken a tone of renewal for the next millennium, with each candidate offering a vision of America's future, "The Jinx" also offers its own vision of America's future that includes working toward the eradication of racism in the next millennium."

—Evening Times

"In a superb blend of logic and suspenseful adventure, Larry Kahn methodically outlines a fictional conspiracy that is believably scary, made all the more real by his protagonist, mild-mannered Ben Kravner. While Ben is no swashbuckling suspense-thriller hero, he takes us through chase scenes that play like a wide-screen movie."

— Amarillo Globe-News  

"THE JINX dares us to set aside partisan politics and awaken the slumbering dream of Martin Luther King to mark the millennium presidential election. I can think of no better way to celebrate the new millennium than to elevate the eradication of racism to the nation’s top priority."

—Nadine Strossen, President, ACLU and Professor of Law, New York Law School

In THE JINX, young estate lawyer Benjamin Franklin Kravner discovers that The Jinx is real. This gripping tale of murder, politics, conspiracy and passion combines an original plot, a diverse cast of real and compelling characters, and an extra helping of heart. The conspiratorial explanation for the 20-Year Jinx is fascinating and timely, but even more unnerving is the exploration of two frightening social themes—the dark side of the Internet and increasingly hostile race relations in America—through the eyes of three memorable young characters and a bevy of high-powered, computer savvy conspirators.

The characters that inhabit THE JINX are not bigger than life—they make mistakes, crack wise and fall in and out of love—but they are infused with a passion for life, and as one states, "ordinary people can accomplish extraordinary deeds when inspired by passion."  The political speeches appear heartfelt and, at times, inspirational, effectively urging Americans to mark the millennium by setting aside partisan politics to make the eradication of racism the national priority.

The message that lies at the heart of The Jinx is that this goal can only be achieved by overcoming the powerful emotional legacies that shape our lives. Like the vendetta perpetuated by the conspirators across seven generations, racism is passed down "one father to one son," the President tells us in his State of the Union address, then admonishes that "racism will only end when parents, black and white, find the intellectual strength to quiet their racist impulses or strong-minded children overcome the urge to submit to their parents’ bigotry."