Special Forces Captain Garrison is an Iraqi vet whose respect in the community is second only to that of Dr. Albert Coulter, the leader of the Outreach Project at the Harbor VA in NYC. Coulter hopes to counsel troubled vets to avoid a rumored network of ex-military taking part in the vigilante actions. Garrison is also concerned as some of his colleagues are suspected of being among the key figures. The two men are drawn together in an uneasy alliance, both wary of the other’s ulterior motives.
Deception is a theme that resonates throughout the plot as Brenda Hammond, the major female protagonist, joins the group as a grad student researching her thesis paper. She has an affair with Garrison’s close friend, Johnny Sullivan, who is unaware that Brenda is an undercover cop. Her mentor, Chief Joel Madden, has assigned her to infiltrate the alleged vets’ network though expecting her success to improve his chances at winning her heart. He appoints a team of detectives to keep watch over her, unaware that they are on the payroll of a Mafia family involved in a desperate rivalry with street gangs and drug cartels for control of the drug traffic in NYC. The characters are drawn closer and deeper into the chaos as violence turns the streets of New York into a war zone.
The plot thickens as Homeland Security agents are alerted to the discovery of an experimental drug developed for military use by a research team headed by Dr. Coulter. Traces of the drug are discovered in tainted crack that is causing a pandemic in ghetto areas. Coulter is being watched by not only HS but the NYPD as they work feverishly to track down the distributors of the superdrug. It is left to the mysterious Bat to solve the mysteries and help bring the predators to justice.
Richard Garrison
An anti-hero in the classic sense of the term, Richard Garrison takes a stand against the crime epidemic yet is stunned by the repercussions. He tries to be a stabilizing influence among his circle of friends at the VA, but once again finds himself thrust into the midst of controversial social issues. His friendship with Holly seems to provide the stability he seeks, yet he is fearful that her safety may be compromised by the criminal elements he is contending with. He knows that his closest friends, Johnny and Tommy, may also be in danger and dares not shirk what he feels are his responsibilities. Complicating matters is his battle of wits with Dr. Coulter, along with his concern that their competition may escalate into a game of cat-and-mouse which he cannot afford to lose.
Dr. Albert Coulter
Debonair and sophisticated, the Doctor holds a M.D. and Ph.D. in Neuroscience at Cornell University School of Medicine and degrees in Psychiatry and Neuropsychiatry at Johns Hopkins. He also has a degree in Biomedical Research which qualified him to direct the Government’s DMX Research Project. Under surveillance by DHS and the NYPD on suspicion of having information on the mysterious Sudoku Gang, Coulter works with the VA Outreach Group in an attempt to uncover the alleged Vigilante Network.
Brenda Hammond
The sexy, intellectual and ambitious undercover officer is assigned to infiltrate the VA Outreach network for leads in the vigilante killings. Only her affair with Johnny Sullivan is seriously compromising her position as betrayal seems to be an inevitable outcome. She is suspected by both Garrison and Coulter, yet they appear to her as holding the key to the information she seeks. Brenda struggles with her inner conflicts as well as the difficulties facing her along the dark road of deception, treachery and murder ahead.
Johnny Sullivan
Along with Tommy O'Hara, Johnny was Captain Garrison's go-to guy during their tour of duty during Operation Desert Storm. Johnny, along with Richard and Tommy, attend Dr. Coulter's sessions at the VA to cope with post-traumatic stress disorder. Johnny falls in love with Brenda, only to fall into a web of suspicion between them. Richard and Coulter suspect that Brenda is working with the police, and Brenda suspects that one of them know the identity of the Bat. Johnny is torn between defending his best friend Richard and protecting the woman he loves.
Darla Mc Carthy
Tommy O'Hara
The role of gender in The Bat is highly significant as we consider the impact of female protagonist Brenda Hammond on the narrative. The tone of discontent is prevalent throughout as Brenda realizes she is being exploited by Chief Joel Madden in the exchange of information as an undercover operative for the detective badge she desires. Her romantic involvement with Johnny Sullivan, a member of the group of interest, is being leveraged by Madden to his own benefit in trying to win Brenda’s affections. She is also stressed by having to compromise Richard Garrison and Dr. Coulter, conflicted in betraying their personal trust while pursuing her professional objectives. She compares her situation with others in her department and realizes she is being exploited as a female rather than being able to rely on sheer ability to succeed in the investigation.
Holly Westlake rejects the gender norms in her act of suicide caused by the abusive relationships she has endured. Her deceased husband gave her a life of uncertainty and risk as a professional gambler, and after his murder she existed under the threat of blackmail as the Mob pressured her for her husband’s ‘black book’. In turning to Dr. Coulter, she finds a lover and a therapist who betrays her by using his experimental DMX-1313 drug on her. The omniscient narrative implies that Holly killed herself out of desperation. Yet scholars might consider the possibility that Holly may have sacrificed her life to have placed the ‘smoking gun’ in the untouchable Doctor’s hand.
We find Darla Mc Carthy reaffirming the gender norm as the stabilizing female character in the novel. She takes the initiative in kindling a relationship with Richard Garrison, then recedes as he reestablishes contact with his own emotions. Unlike Tommy O’Hara’s girlfriend Jill Masterson, she succeeds in breaking down Richard’s walls while strengthening both their relationship and his own overall self-perception. She leads Brenda and Jill by example in improving their own relationships without being didactic or self-righteous. Darla becomes a ‘mother earth’ figure of serenity as opposed to Brenda being a damsel in distress and Holly having opted out rather than seeking resolution to her struggles.
The Bat continues in the tradition of John Reinhard Dizon’s works in discussing the role of gender in society and literature, examining the cause and effect of cultural projections on women and how personality, psychological outlook and overall character determines social outcomes. The ‘second class citizen’ viewpoint is not only questioned but rejected in this essential viewpoint on female perspectives.
The Bat (An Existential Fable) is an action-adventure novel centered on the not-too-distant future in NYC as the Big Apple becomes the beacon of the world in the throes of the Great Recession. Existentialism becomes a philosophical alternative to religion in a city that has lost hope in the future. Crime is rampant as narcotic use has reached epidemic proportions, and vigilantes began to capture the imagination of the world press as they take a stand in the War On Gangs.