Political Thrillers (novels)

I read Baldacci’s Absolute Power and thought it sucked, but I liked the concept – corruption, crime and cover-up in the highest offices of the land, while one lone man yadda yadda yadda. Can anyone recommend some better ones? Is Jeffrey Archer any good?

The Parallax View, which I’m currently reading, is almost completely different than the movie of the same name, and just as good.

Some other good ones I can think of are The Money Harvest and If You Can’t Be Good by Ross Thomas (most of his novels are steeped in political corruption and intrigue), Winter Kills and Death of a Politician by Richard Condon, and Talon by James Coltrane (in the “Six Days of the Condor” vein).

All of these authors write rings around a guy like David Baldacci.

Thanks for the suggestions. I clean forgot about Richard Condon.

Judging from this and your Parallax View thread, there seems to be a dearth of Dopers who appreciate a paranoid POV. What a shame!

All part of a fiendish plot, Kaspar. Oooh they think we don’t see it, but we do.

Forgot to mention- I’ve never tried Jeffrey Archer, but how about Robert Ludlum? He was a big cover-up/conspiracy plotter. The Chancellor Manuscript I recall as being especaally good; postulates that J. Edgar Hoover was actually assassinated. Neat stuff. I think The Matlock Paper and Trevayne are along similar lines, but I haven’t read them yet.

I read Jeffrey Archer’s Kane and Abel, and would have found it really terrific had I not guessed a couple of its plot elements early on. His First Among Equals seemed to fall pretty flat.

As far as political thrillers, anything by Frederick Forsyth is worth reading. Tom Clancy also. Both of these writers, though, are heavily into the espionage angle of the political world.

I hear lots of good stuff about Brad Meltzer, but have never gotten around to reading anything. His titles include The First Counsel, The Tenth Justice (all about intrigue in the Supreme Court), and Zero Game (about Capitol Hill staffers betting on legislation). The books are meticulously researched, but not presented in Clancy-like detail (at least, according to Amazon).

Baldacci writes novels like my ass chews gum.

I got to second Moody’s recommendation of Ross Thomas…a brilliant thriller writer who never achieved the popularity he should have.

The Money Harvest is one of my favorites, and I’m also partial to Missionary Stew, Chinaman’s Chance, and Briarpatch (for which he won the Edgar Award back in 1986).

St. Martin’s Press is currently reviving some of Thomas’s best titles in trade paperback format…grab 'em while you can!

Like Avr8trmike said, Meltzer is good. I’ve read his First Counsel, Tenth Justice, and Dead Even and liked them all. Ludlum is also good, although both The Matlock Paper (a college professor goes undercover to break up a drug and prostitution ring) and Trevayne (somebody investigates corruption in the defense department) are really dated, and some of his other books “aged” better. Frederick Forsyth is also good, even though his novels tend more to be Cold War spy novels then about government corruption per se.

You also might want to check out Allen Drury’s political books (Advise and Consent, Shade of Difference, Capable of Honor, Preserve and Protect, The Promise of Joy and Come Nineveh, Come Tyre. Preserve and Protect ends on a cliff hanger, and both The Promise of Joy and Come Nineveh, Come Tyre are direct sequels to it, each one assuming a different resolution of the cliffhanger). The books were written in the 60’s and early 70s, and Drury was extremely conservative and hated the New Left, and that’s reflected in the books. However, if that doesn’t bother you too much, they’re pretty good.

Just finished Meltzer’s Zero Game. A fast read, but pretty blah. I am usually a fan of his, but this one really seemed empty.

And for the love of GOD don’t read Archer’s SONS OF FORTUNE. The only reason it should be read is for unintentional FARCE! It is the most cliche ridden, insultingly stupid, coincidence driven book I have ever read. To call the characters paper thin is an insult to notebooks everywhere.

I did enjoy his work in the 11th Commandment, but SoF was HORRIBLE.

The book is about two twins seperated at birth and end up running against each other for the Conn. Governorship. I was so turned off by the book, I considered not finishing it and finding out who won as a protest to the overall crapiness of the book.
(I wrote a post similar to this a day or so ago, but it must not have gone through!)

I’ve only read The Manchurian Candidate, which I thought was terrific…better than the movie in some ways, and that flick is one of my all-time favorites.

Maybe I’ll check these out, although I see via Amazon that most of Condon’s stuff seems to be out of print.

Stephen Hunter

“Point of Impact”

Really nothing left to say…utterly brilliant. Suspenseful as hell.

More of a comedic cautionary tale about the dangers and loopholes of the US Electorial College, but I’d recommend CNN journalist Jeff Greenfield’s novel The People’s Choice. Lots of backroom negociating, dealmaking, and power plays all revolving around what happens if the president-elect dies before the electors actually vote him in.

Again with a comedic bent, but most of the novels of Christopher Buckley are full of Washington backstabbing and jockeying for position. I’d recommend Thank You for Smoking, about a PR rep for the tobacco lobby trying to keep his high-paying but distasteful job (which he justifies with what he calls “the Yuppie Nuremberg Defense” aka “I vaz just paying zee mortgage”) during serious anti-smoking legislative times. Some loose thriller moments mixed in with Larry King Live appearances, luncheons with the hero’s PR rep buddies for the alcohol and gun lobbies (self-named “the Merchants of Death”), kinky sex, kidnappings, cigarette product placement in Hollywood, and the skull of Mister Rogers.

I like Richard Condon, but I’d advise staying away from Whisper of the Axe. It’s “throw it at the wall” bad.

Hey, thanks for the responses. I didn’t check over the weekend and now it looks like I got some good recommendations. I just started Resurrection Day by Brendan DuBois, but that’s more alternate history.

I was surprised to hear that Jeff Greenfield wrote a book. I’m gonna see if I can dig up a copy.

I love that book! :slight_smile:

(Note I’m not disagreeing with you.)

The Star-Spangled Crunch is another notable wacky one (and kind of scarce today, I think). Condon had a taste for the outlandish. Sometimes it worked more effectively than other times.