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| courtesy: goodreads.com |
I discovered him first when I picked up The Final Judgement and have read a few of his latest ones since then. When I picked this one up, I did not bother with the story, the author's name on the book cover was enough.
However, I have realised even the best of the writers cannot come up with a great book every time.
Gist:
Kerry Kilcannon is a lawyer who is catapulted into high league when he becomes a senator and eventually fnds himself as the presidential candidate. His climb up the ladder, from a rough childhood to a lawyer fighting domestic abuse cases is remarkable. His elder brother, Jamie is the prodigal son who is a sureshot winner
eager to make it big in national politics. However, as luck would have it, eventually it is Kerry who is running for the big post amid a score of complications; a correspondent who he loves when he is already married, a reporter who is hot on their scent trying to get a scoop and a madman out to assasinate Kerry.
What works:
- The story takes off very well. Patterson is an expert at building scenes, whether it is painting a household rife with domestic abuse or the life of a presidential candidate, Patterson's expertise shines through.
- The plot is interesting. Kerry's build up as a rough young boy and a lawyer and eventually as the presidential candidate is really good till a point.
What doesn't:
- Once I was a few chapters into it, when I realised the similarity to the kennedy story and to be honest, it put me off. Although it,is only loosely modelled, it took the sheen off it for me. The story tended to sag, it could helped if tightened a bit. I found myself looking up from the book more than once, often with impatience.
- Apparently, this is the prequel to the so called famous "Balance of power" which takes off from where this one ends. Hopefully that one will be better.
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