Rating: 
Summary: Suspenseful, smart, and funny
Review: I picked this book up on a whim at LAX for a flight back East, and didn't put it down on the entire trip. The main character, Jack Flynn, is the most likable hero in any thriller I've ever read. He's got a heartbreaking backstory that I won't reveal here (it brought me to tears at two points in the book) combined with this razor-sharp humor. There's a one-liner on almost every page that made me at least smile, if not laugh out loud.All this, and it gave great perspective on the White House and what it's like to be a reporter covering the President of the United States. I learned more about national politics and journalism from reading this book than from a month of reading the newspaper. If the book has a pitfall, there's an awful lot of profanity, but maybe that's just the way reporters talk. Here's hoping we haven't seen the last of Jack Flynn.
Rating:
Summary: Funny and Fast
Review: I picked this up on the recommendation of a friend thinking it was a serious political thriller, and in most respects, it was. But told in the first person by an engaging reporter-narrator who has this wonderfully skeptical outlook on life, the book was laugh-out-loud funny page in and page out, even in some of the most suspenseful scenes. The plot was strong, and the surprise ending cuffed me on the head. But the characters were the best part of the book -- real people, quirkly people, people who you really feel invested in. The author reminded me a lot of Nelson DeMille, one of my favorites.
Rating: 
Summary: Hip, political intrigue
Review: I really enjoyed this political thriller: if you seek intrigue, this novel deals out plenty. The plot is complex in its structure with a first-person narrative that gets you inside the head of this Washington journalist attempting to solve a riddle of which he plays a central role. The tragedies of the protagonist's life endear him to his readers. The men who are journalists in the novel are men's men but Samantha Stevens assumes a rather stereotypical male fantasy aspect: this character could have been rounder. Katherine on the other hand was nicely drawn and we can't help but admire her and his devotion to this perfectly lovely woman. I think that the author could have used better advice in the selection of names for his characters: i.e., Havlicek and others. This is a most promising first novel, which plays to the authors strengths as a political journalist. The story keeps one guessing until the last few pages: it's a page-turner and sterling example of quality in this genre of intrigue.
Rating:
Summary: Pulling Back the Curtain on Washington Journalism
Review: I've always thought that a fast moving, unpredictable plot was enough to satisfy your average thriller reader. I am not not your average thriller reader. In fact, I never read thrillers because I don't feel like I learn enough from them. The Incumbant is different. It offered much more than just a whodunnit with the usual twists. Instead it provided a realistic, sometimes humorous view of the world of White House reporting. I was a White House correspondent for a news service for six years and Mr. McGrory captured not only the difficulty the job entails but also the absurdity of the beat. Readers can't help liking Jack Flynn, the book's hero. He is self-deprecating enough to make you root for him yet cocky enough to be believable as he looks for answers to a presidential assassination attempt. That mix gives the book its strength. The fact that the plot twists and turns when you least expect it only makes an already admirable first book effort from Mr. McGrory that much better. The Incumbant is fast paced enough to be read in a sitting on a rainy afternoon, but that does it a disservice. There are nuances in the work that ought to be savoured. There are laugh out loud jokes. And there are tender moments, regarding Flynn's marriage for example, that give the book a depth that can be missed by a quick reading. I hope there are more books to come from this talented new author.
Rating:
Summary: A winner
Review: In the exclusive Congressional Country Club in Maryland, Boston Record Washington DC correspondent Jack Flynn plays golf with President Clay Hutchins. Though the upcoming election appears close, the President is confident of winning and offers Jack the position of press secretary. However, on the sixteenth hole, Jack and the President are in a sand trap when all hell broke loose due to a sprinkler setting off and soaking the players. That turns out to be a diversion as an assailant shoots both golfers, but in turn is taken out by the Secret Service. While recuperating in the hospital, Jack receives an anonymous call insisting that the so-called assassination is "nothing as it seems." Unable to resist a story of a lifetime, in which he is a major participant, Jack begins to make inquiries even as a Deep Throat like person keeps giving him tips and warnings. Soon, a killer decides Jack is getting to close to the truth and needs elimination. THE INCUMBENT is an exciting political thriller that will please fans of conspiracy theories, those readers who question the role of the modern media, and the anti Clinton crowd. The story line never eases up at the throttle as Jack digs deeper and deeper into the mystery, but each new fact makes the investigation seem more complex and convoluted rather than simplifying it. Though the characters are never fully developed except to a degree the hero, the twisting, dangerous inquiry makes Brian McGrory's shocker a winner for sub-genre fans. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: Gripping Page Turner
Review: It is a rare day (especially a sunny Saturday) when you begin a book and read it greedily from beginning to end in one afternoon. Brian Mcgrory's first novel, The Incumbent, etches the character's personalities clearly in the reader's mind and as a result completely enraptures you into the storyline. If you are looking for a book filled with vivid images, government corruption, excitement, and personal integrity- The Incumbent is for you. Mr. McGrory-I am waiting for Book II!
Rating:
Summary: Better than Baldacci!
Review: It may be the summer of the most boring presidential race of all time, but I was blown away by this new DC thriller. I knew Brian McGrory's name from his Boston Globe columns (I'm originally from Lexington, MA), and I have to say that THE INCUMBENT is a gripping read. It starts off with the assassination of the president which takes a Boston journalist, Jack Flynn, on a deep cover investigation that is reminiscent (in a good way) of the hushed air around All the President's Men. But most importantly you can tell that McGrory knows of what he writes and the suspense of the book keeps building in surprising ways. If you want to feel what it's like to be a Beltway insider, read this book.
Rating:
Summary: A convoluted ending saved by the wonderfully endearing Flynn
Review: Jack Flynn is a great character. He is funny, egotistical, and a bit sad. However, he never loses sense of humor and "writes" with a flair. The story is fascinating, but by the last 50 pages kind of goes a bit crazy. I didn't figure out all of the mystery, which was good. I think many thrillers kind of go nuts at the end trying to top last week's best seller. What works here, and what makes it worth reading, is that fact that the novel does understand DC, the politics and the people. The characters, Havlicek especially, are nicely drawn and generally well placed. Some of it is absurd as I say, but still a fun ride. I'll read the next one.
Rating:
Summary: A convoluted ending saved by the wonderfully endearing Flynn
Review: Jack Flynn is a great character. He is funny, egotistical, and a bit sad. However, he never loses sense of humor and "writes" with a flair. The story is fascinating, but by the last 50 pages kind of goes a bit crazy. I didn't figure out all of the mystery, which was good. I think many thrillers kind of go nuts at the end trying to top last week's best seller. What works here, and what makes it worth reading, is that fact that the novel does understand DC, the politics and the people. The characters, Havlicek especially, are nicely drawn and generally well placed. Some of it is absurd as I say, but still a fun ride. I'll read the next one.
Rating:
Summary: A convoluted ending saved by the wonderfully endearing Flynn
Review: Jack Flynn is a great character. He is funny, egotistical, and a bit sad. However, he never loses sense of humor and "writes" with a flair. The story is fascinating, but by the last 50 pages kind of goes a bit crazy. I didn't figure out all of the mystery, which was good. I think many thrillers kind of go nuts at the end trying to top last week's best seller. What works here, and what makes it worth reading, is that fact that the novel does understand DC, the politics and the people. The characters, Havlicek especially, are nicely drawn and generally well placed. Some of it is absurd as I say, but still a fun ride. I'll read the next one.
|
