Fairfield Goodale

The Tentative Assassin is a fast-paced thriller involving a physician's plot to murder the President of the United States using a rare viral infection. The doctor has his reasons. Dr. Sydney Fallon is the President's personal physician. He is also famous for his ground-breaking research into rare viruses. His job and his reputation are in jeopardy when his romance with the President's daughter goes south, the result of an unexpected pregnancy. The irate President promises to ruin Fallon and his unblemished medical reputation immediately upon their return from an upcoming trip to Africa. Even before they board Air Force One, Fallon knows the President must disappear. An expert in infectious disease, Fallon executes a meticulous plan to infect the President with a deadly virus found only in Central Africa. The plan works perfectly. Perhaps, too perfectly. Fallon is haunted by crushing guilt, personal remorse, and by the deadly virus itself even as a compulsive secret service agent grows suspicious. The story reaches a climax when Fallon, fearing infection by his own deadly murder weapon, confesses his crime in a sealed letter. Will his secret be revealed or remain forever hidden?