Stranglehold

Coming in November from St. Martin's
The Second Dev Conrad Suspense Novel

We always hear about political dynasties in this country. The large ones, the Kennedys, the Cabot Lodges etc., are well-known. Back in the late Sixties while I was writing speeches for a Democratic congressman I started having beers with a GOP op and his wife who worked for our competitor. None of us felt we were working for mental giants. Amazing what you hear getting bombed in a bar. One of their best series of stories (they'd been in the field for a quarter century) dealt with this minor but very successful Midwestern dynasty. I never forgot their tales of a family dynasty so dysfunctional it would make Al Bundy and his tribe look like Ozzie and Harriet. I had to do a lot of disguising--these were prominent, wealthy people--but I managed to do it. It's much darker than the first Dev Conrad Sleeping Dogs and less concerned with process as such. I think it's a true portrait of how familial politics works and if anybody says I'm exaggerating all I have to do is point to the new book Game Change. You want to read about egotism, betrayal, bribery, adultery, blackmail, deceit, insanity and terror this is your book. And from everything I've seen, heard and read about over the years this is pretty standard for the big leagues and all too often these days for the minor leagues as well. I'm half way through it and every other page curls my thinning hair.