Review: An interesting and intriguing story!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 27, 2014
I was recommended this book by a friend. I thought I would give it a try, as I have read a previous book by this author. I really enjoyed it.Jack Canon is a complex character. I was not sure whether I liked him or not. He is a smooth talking, charismatic and focused individual, who will do whatever it takes to get what he wants. And what he wants is to be the next President of the United States.I must admit that I am not very familiar with the way the American Senate and the Senators work, as I am not American. Also, I am not really very political. I do vote, but I am not active in the whole political scene. However, that being said, this book has opened my eyes to some of what goes on behind the scenes. The story was a little hard to get into in the beginning (see reason above), and I found it a little boring.The first part of the book felt a bit too long, in my opinion. I love the way the story unfolded, but wish there had been a bit more intrigue from the beginning.There was very little in the way of action, and the way the author detailed some of the rather believable behind-the-scenes scenes made me wonder at the naive way we, the voters, are blinded by the pomp of it all; there seems to be some dirty dealings that go on without public knowledge! However, I kept going and realised that politicians the world over seem to be cut from the same cloth; they are all two faced in some way or another. They say things and do things in public, but behind the scenes, things are completely different. This story follows Senator Jack Canon as he campaigns to be the next President. I actually laughed cynically at some of his antics, as they are so cliche. He is a loving husband and father, but I think he secretly loves the attention the other women in his life give him - it strokes his ego. It wasn't until I was well into the second half of the book before the action started to heat up, and Jack's persona suddenly took an abrupt Mr. Hyde shift. Granted, the people he was going up against were not the most likable, and his motives not entirely pure, but if I were in his shoes, I'm not sure if I would have had been able to pull it off. I reached the end of the book and sat for a while, as I contemplated the story. It definitely took me on a roller coaster ride of emotions. I have come to the conclusion that you have to either be highly idealistic, or love politics a lot to want to run for office. It is not for the feint of heart, and I am neither one of those! I will leave the politics to the politicians. The story wasn't as fast paced as I would have liked in places, but I am now looking forward to reading the next book to find out what happens next.Greg Sandora has written a political thriller that could have been a little more thrilling in places, but all in all a great read. Having read a previous book from this author, I knew what his writing style was like. However, the switch in genre was a surprise (a nice one, but a surprise nonetheless). I wonder what else this author has up his sleeve? I guess I'll just have to wait and see.I recommend this book if you love Suspense or Political Thriller genres. - Lynn Worton