This book by Buckley is not like most I have read by him. This was a novel and he is usually writing more commentary pieces. This however, was a good and interesting book. The characters are certainly believable in our political situation and the plot is not difficult to believe, in fact it is easy to believe. Enjoyed it.

J. Robert Ewbank author "John Wesley, Natural Man, and the 'Isms'" ( )

plucked this one off of an endcap at the library and was hoping for better.

written in an approachable, easygoing tone, this novel took a different tack than the typical Washington Scandal Book, most of which are rigid, intense, and gripping. here instead we had a scandal, cover up which resorts to arson and murder, and the ruination of a presidential candidacy all discussed with a remarkable lack of engagement or urgency.

this lackadasickal emotional approach translated into a rather unengaging read. action was interestingly conveyed, but improbably casual. even the reactions of many of the characters to the circumstances in which they found themselves seemed disingenuously detached and unemotional.

the end comes rather suddenly and without the drama one would expect from the events as they unfold. i expected to find at least 3 or 4 more chapters after the last page and was left feeling a little perturbed. not so much because i was so interested in the story as to long for its continuation, but because i was incredulous that it would end with such percipitance.

i felt like the underlying plot was interesting and could have made for a gripping Washington Scandal Book but was poorly handled and incompletely developed. ( )