The Nominee

Rating:
Summary: A Reader from Boston Loves this Book!!!!!!
Review: Boston Record publisher Paul Ellis informs his expert investigative reporter Jack Flynn that a hostile takeover of the newspaper is in the works. He also states that the sudden heart-attack death of his predecessor five years ago may have been a homicide. Paul wants Jack to learn what is going on with the buyout attempt and the strange death of the previous publisher.

Jack already has interesting information that Massachusetts Governor Lance Randolph inflated his résumé by recalculating his conviction record as a district attorney. Since the President plans to nominate Lance as the next Attorney General, a fabrication may prove almost as embarrassing and damaging as it did to college football coaches. Then again one must consider the standard of an Attorney General vs. that of a head football coach at Notre Dame. Jack flies to Florida to talk with the retired detective who apparently failed to investigate thoroughly the former publisher's death. Upon his return to Boston, Jack learns that Paul was killed in the head during what appears to be a robbery turned ugly. Now Jack seeks the connections that if he lives long enough may more than just abash a president and his nominee.

THE NOMINEE is an urban noir starring a modern day Sam Spade tough guy clone. Jack is an interesting hero who keeps the tale from spinning out of control with his colorful descriptions that uses bodily parts as metaphors and similes. Though the shifting between first and third person jars the reader, the investigation is fun and Jack's way with words will keep the audience thinking did he really say that?

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: An Author who can WRITE!
Review: Brian McGrory's writing skill is so far superior to anything else in this genre as to defy description. I'll read both his books again, if not necessarily for the complex plots, but for the pleasure of reading the work of a craftsman with words. As an experienced reporter for a prestigious Boston daily (quaintly, just like his protagonist), McGrory is precise with his descriptions, apt in his characterizations, and has a great ear for dialogue and nuance. There are a couple of parts in this book that are laugh-out-loud funny and he's clearly working a labor of love as he describes life at big daily paper.

The story in this book is one of big city, big state politics, and the venalites of the men who play the major roles. (As a sidebar: very few women in this book, other than the hero's love interest. Is that a subtle comment on the status of women in journalism, or just in Boston journalism?). He does a great job in conveying what motivates reporters to just keep picking away at the story until the truth is clear.

The title Nominee is the fairhaired successor to a martyred governor father, and who has just a flaw or two that make him vulnerable. Naturally, these are exploited, in some ways that are a huge plot surprise.

In summary, a VERY good read, good plot, and excellent characters and insights. The only negatives are the three or four cliches that are repeated numerous times (example: "the guy thought he'd hit a home run because he'd been born on third base." Clever once, cute twice, but filler material thereafter. Also, sometimes the tenor got a little preachy about the press as the protector and one true guardian of all that was right in the world...

Good author, good book, go for it.

Rating:
Summary: An Author who can WRITE!
Review: Brian McGrory's writing skill is so far superior to anything else in this genre as to defy description. I'll read both his books again, if not necessarily for the complex plots, but for the pleasure of reading the work of a craftsman with words. As an experienced reporter for a prestigious Boston daily (quaintly, just like his protagonist), McGrory is precise with his descriptions, apt in his characterizations, and has a great ear for dialogue and nuance. There are a couple of parts in this book that are laugh-out-loud funny and he's clearly working a labor of love as he describes life at big daily paper.

The story in this book is one of big city, big state politics, and the venalites of the men who play the major roles. (As a sidebar: very few women in this book, other than the hero's love interest. Is that a subtle comment on the status of women in journalism, or just in Boston journalism?). He does a great job in conveying what motivates reporters to just keep picking away at the story until the truth is clear.

The title Nominee is the fairhaired successor to a martyred governor father, and who has just a flaw or two that make him vulnerable. Naturally, these are exploited, in some ways that are a huge plot surprise.

In summary, a VERY good read, good plot, and excellent characters and insights. The only negatives are the three or four cliches that are repeated numerous times (example: "the guy thought he'd hit a home run because he'd been born on third base." Clever once, cute twice, but filler material thereafter. Also, sometimes the tenor got a little preachy about the press as the protector and one true guardian of all that was right in the world...

Good author, good book, go for it.

Rating:
Summary: What Do You Know?
Review: For those that don't know there is a maxim that the majority I would say of people who have ever thought about or aspired to write are quite familiar with: "Write about what you know."
Brian McGrory, a Boston newspaperman did just that in "The Nominee". McGrory a Boston newspaperman, has written another novel where his protagonist is newreporter Jack Flynn.
Jack Flynn can be described as a sardonic, witty, and articulate wordsmith leading me to suspect there is a lot of McGrory in his lead character. Who by the way is quite likable due to above traits, yet Flynn is human in the angst he carries with him throughout the plot and subplots of the story.
This book is a fun read, and the alternating viewpoints from first to third person, while offputting to some, rather appealed to my tastes.
McGrory not only describes life at a newspaper through the novel, but also has managed to write a fun and fast paced thriller to boot. Highly recommended. (Hope that wasn't a dangling participle Flynn would kill me haha.)

Rating:
Summary: What Do You Know?
Review: For those that don't know there is a maxim that the majority I would say of people who have ever thought about or aspired to write are quite familiar with: "Write about what you know."
Brian McGrory, a Boston newspaperman did just that in "The Nominee". McGrory a Boston newspaperman, has written another novel where his protagonist is newreporter Jack Flynn.
Jack Flynn can be described as a sardonic, witty, and articulate wordsmith leading me to suspect there is a lot of McGrory in his lead character. Who by the way is quite likable due to above traits, yet Flynn is human in the angst he carries with him throughout the plot and subplots of the story.
This book is a fun read, and the alternating viewpoints from first to third person, while offputting to some, rather appealed to my tastes.
McGrory not only describes life at a newspaper through the novel, but also has managed to write a fun and fast paced thriller to boot. Highly recommended. (Hope that wasn't a dangling participle Flynn would kill me haha.)

Rating:
Summary: A Riveting Well Plotted Action Thriller With One Major Flaw
Review: Jack Flynn is the ace reporter for THE BOSTON RECORD and good friend of the publisher (and current generation of the founding family) Paul Ellis. As Jack is about to break a major political story regarding Lance Randolph, the current governor of Massachusetts, Paul informs Jack that he needs his help in opposing a secret takeover offer by Terry Campbell, owner of a major media chain. Paul further informs Jack that he believes that the death five years ago of his predecessor as publisher, his cousin John Cutter, may have been related to a previous takeover attempt by Campbell. At the same time, Paul's mentor, legendary Record columnist Robert Fitzgerald, is furnished a scoop that Democrat Randolph is about to be nominated for U.S. Attorney General by a Republican president. Suddenly the stakes are raised considerably regarding Jack's planned expose. Soon Ellis is dead, an attempt has been made on Jack's life, Fitzgerald's veracity is in question, the takeover proposal is public, and Jack gets reinvolved with his ex-girlfriend and reporter for the competing newspaper, Elizabeth.

Since Jack soon comes to believe that the police may have interests which conflict with his own (fueled by his suspicions regarding the relationship of the lead detective with Elizabeth), he is basically dependent on the help of Hank Seeeney, a retired Boston P.D. detective who he tracks down in Florida. He also soon involves Vinny Mongillo, his best friend and fellow reporter at the Record, and his dog Baker (whose appearance is much too brief but key to some events early in the story).

Action is nonstop, the plot is complex, and the insights which author McGrory provides about the newspaper business and political reporting are first rate. He weaves all the pieces of the puzzle together in a way that made me want to keep reading the next chapter to discover the latest turn of the intricate plot. Also, his evocation of the Boston area is very good. Lastly, he is a excellent wordsmith, and his descriptive phrases and asides are often wonderful. (E.g. the evidence locker for closed cases existed as "the room where shouted questions were diminished by time to a barely audible whisper".)

I strongly recommend this book, and plan to read THE INCUMBENT, McGrory's first novel and introduction to Jack Flynn.That plot and events in Jack's life are integral to this book, but are explained as necessary as this story unfolds. However, I could not rate it five stars because of two irritating flaws. First, a relatively minor one, is that the book alternated between the third person, including action that occurred both when Jack was and was not present, and the first person, when we would suddenly be privy to Jack's unspoken thoughts. Second and much more annoying to me, in order to further the plot and increase the suspense, at times the characters would act totally inconsistently with their personnas. This was especially true of Jack, who is protrayed as a very smart reporter who knew how to piece together a story but did some pretty dumb things in this book. It only occurred infrequently but on a few other occasions, I said "get real, these people aren't supposed to be that dumb". I do not want to give any specifics away, but the author could have accomplished his goal in other ways. I suspect and hope that Hank Sweeney will make an appearance in the next Jack Flynn book, scheduled for 2003, and that Elizabeth and Baker will have larger roles.

My unrealistic dream as a Spenser fan (Robert Parker) is that perhaps a Boston case will come along that Flynn, Sweeney, Elizabeth and Baker could team up with Spenser, Quirk, Susan Silverman, and Pearl the Wonder Dog to solve. However, that is for another day. If you do like action mysteries that evoke the Boston locale, I suggest that you read Robert Parker's SHRINK RAP after you finish this book.

Rating:
Summary: Jack Flynn wins again...and it's even more fun...
Review: McGrory continues the winning saga of Jack Flynn. The book is longer than the first in the series and perhaps a bit better. The plot avoids some of the aburdist elements of the first. The book is paced well and Flynn remains a charmer. It was nice to see how he has grown in life. I was surprised to see that the FBI love interest from the first book was not even mentioned here. What happened to her? Elizabeth Riggs is far better character, but still...I was glad my favorite fictional golden retriever Baker was back. It was great to meet Hank Sweeney too. McGrory's work is at times light and funny--Flynn is a great alter ego. The bigger mystery is still a bit nutty and unrealistic, but fascinating all the rest. I'll be back for my third Flynn book soon.

Rating:
Summary: Jack Flynn wins again...and it's even more fun...
Review: McGrory continues the winning saga of Jack Flynn. The book is longer than the first in the series and perhaps a bit better. The plot avoids some of the aburdist elements of the first. The book is paced well and Flynn remains a charmer. It was nice to see how he has grown in life. I was surprised to see that the FBI love interest from the first book was not even mentioned here. What happened to her? Elizabeth Riggs is far better character, but still...I was glad my favorite fictional golden retriever Baker was back. It was great to meet Hank Sweeney too. McGrory's work is at times light and funny--Flynn is a great alter ego. The bigger mystery is still a bit nutty and unrealistic, but fascinating all the rest. I'll be back for my third Flynn book soon.

Rating:
Summary: Welcome back, Jack Flynn
Review: This book is worth the money just for a scene in a Boston restaurant when Jack Flynn, star reporter and narrator, is on a date with a lingerie model, and he runs into the ex-girlfriend he still loves who's on a date with a professional baseball player. I laughed out loud throughout it, even when I reread it.
I fell in love with Jack in the first book, The Incumbent, and was afraid that might be a one-hit wonder. He's even better here -- funny, earnest at times, always driven to get the story. This is my new favorite series.
And I'll never look at my morning newspaper the same again, now that I have an idea of the work that goes into it and the people who do that work. An outstanding book at a lot of levels.