Pottinger, Stanley 1940- (Stan Pottinger)

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Pottinger, Stanley 1940- (Stan Pottinger)

PERSONAL:

Born 1940; son of John and Elnora Pottinger; married Gloria Anderson (divorced, 1975); children: Paul, Katie, Matt. Education: Graduated from Harvard University; Harvard Law School, J.D.

ADDRESSES:

Home—South Salem, NY.

CAREER:

Writer, novelist, attorney, entrepreneur, publisher, and investment banker. Barnstorm Books, president and publisher. U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Office of Civil Rights, director; Department of Justice, Washington, DC, assistant attorney general, Civil Rights Division; U.S. Attorney General, special assistant, 1977; investment banker, in New York, NY; worked as a real estate agent. National Alliance of Breast Cancer Organizations (NABCO), director; voters for Choice, founding director.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Future Leaders of America distinction, Time magazine, 1974. Recipient of honorary degree from Lincoln University.

WRITINGS:

NOVELS

The Fourth Procedure, Ballantine Books (New York, NY), 1995.

A Slow Burning, Dutton (New York, NY), 2000.

The Last Nazi, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 2003.

The Boss, Hodder & Stoughton (London, England), 2005, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 2006.

Author's works have been translated into ten foreign languages.

Contributor to magazines and periodicals.

SIDELIGHTS:

Stanley Pottinger's first novel, The Fourth Procedure, is a medical thriller. The bodies of anti-abortionists turn up in Washington, DC. The corpses' livers have been removed, and in place of the livers are tiny dolls with a message. Involved in the mystery are Jack MacLeod, a New York congressman, and Dr. Rachel Redpath, an organ transplant pioneer, both of whom have lost loved ones to back-alley abortionists and have become involved in pro-choice politics. William Beatty in Booklist commented: "The theme of abortion may seem pretty shopworn, but what Pottinger does with it is remarkable, fascinating."

Pottinger's second book, A Slow Burning, concerns racial tensions. New York detective Nat Hennessey is involved in a conspiracy to discredit Dr. Cush Walker, an African-American neurosurgeon who invented a brain-scanning technique for detecting racial bias. The technique is threatening the careers of many policemen, including Hennessey's. A reviewer for Publishers Weekly claimed: "This kaleidoscopic thriller is marvelously complex, charged with emotional impact and resounding ethical questions."

The Boss spans the vast landscapes of Texas, big business, and Texas oil, in a story of deception, betrayal, and revenge. Jack "Spin" Patterson is the CEO of a Texas oil company, having fought his way to the top through ruthlessness and cunning. His company is worth billions, and is poised to become worth much more with the unveiling of revolutionary technology dubbed Black Eyes, a device capable of locating valuable oil fields in the depths of the ocean. Spin's life is complicated by a furious wife who has discovered his extramarital affair and is ready to take him for everything he is worth, including Black Eyes. When Black Eyes fails to perform as well as expected, Spin hatches a scheme to manipulate the market and keep his company's stock prices high so that he can pay off his ex-wife. Unfortunately for Max McLennon, Spin's protege and the novel's narrator, and for Tacoma Reed, Max's lover and Spin's mistress, the scheme does not stop short of murder where necessary. Soon, they are fighting for their lives while trying to sustain a company perhaps better off left to die on its own. "Juicy sex, high-stakes vengeance, and taut action will keep readers turning the pages," commented a Publishers Weekly reviewer. Similarly, Booklist reviewer David Pitt called the novel "a solid yarn for those who like to turn pages quickly."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, January 15, 1995, William Beatty, review of The Fourth Procedure, p. 869; October 15, 2006, David Pitt, review of The Boss, p. 33.

Kirkus Reviews, September 15, 2006, review of The Boss, p. 926.

Library Journal, February 15, 1995, Cynthia Johnson, review of The Fourth Procedure, p. 183; December, 1999, Lesley C. Keogh, review of A Slow Burning, p. 188.

New York Times, April 9, 1995, Gary Hart, "One Damn Thing after Three Anothers," p. 8.

People, June 5, 1995, Mark Lasswell, "Surgical Strike," p. 103.

Publishers Weekly, February 6, 1995, review of The Fourth Procedure, p. 74, November 15, 1999, review of A Slow Burning, p. 53; October 2, 2006, review of The Boss, p. 40.