The Manchurian Candidate — Richard Condon

The classic thriller about a hostile foreign power infiltrating American politics: “Brilliant . . . wild and exhilarating.” -- The New Yorker
 
A war hero and the recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor, Sgt. Raymond Shaw is keeping a deadly secret -- even from himself. During his time as a prisoner of war in North Korea, he was brainwashed by his Communist captors and transformed into a deadly weapon -- a sleeper assassin, programmed to kill without question or mercy at his captors' signal. Now he's been returned to the United States with a covert mission: to kill a candidate running for US president . . .
 
This “shocking, tense” and sharply satirical novel has become a modern classic, and was the basis for two film adaptations (San Francisco Chronicle).
 
“Crammed with suspense.” -- Chicago Tribune
 
“Condon is wickedly skillful.” -- Time