SENECA SPEAKS
Part II: Capital Idea
by C. Wade Spencer
A freshman U.S. senator contends with his former mentor’s plan to launch an alternative currency in this second installment of Spencer’s thriller series.
Ethan Scott, in his New York City office as a rising leader of the Citizens’ Mandamus Council, is surprised to get a visit from U.S. Sens. Hubert Riley and John Stanton. These men are the type of suspect power brokers that CMC seeks to expose, but Ethan ultimately decides to accept their offer to appoint him to a vacant Senate seat, musing to himself, “If I possessed their influence, I could do so much more.” He advances at a fast clip in the Senate and the “Bone Yard” of Washington, D.C., gaining majority leader status and the pro tempore post. These promotions are largely brought about via Riley’s evil maneuverings as he seeks to lure Ethan into the world of secret favors and corruption. Meanwhile, CMC founder David Samuel, disheartened and angry about a U.S. Department of Justice lawsuit against his organization, announces his intention to offer a new type of currency and force a special election to drive out the current Congress. Ethan also struggles with his love-hate relationship with opportunistic lobbyist Anne Preston, who works for one of two major oil barons funding terrorists as part of their domination of the energy market. News anchor Abigail Sanders also renews contact with Ethan, with whom she shares history and mutual attraction. By novel’s end, several players are dethroned, tortured, or die, and Ethan is mobilized to rejoin CMC in part by revelations by mysterious D.C. homeless man Seneca.
Spencer ambitiously weaves many threads into this multilayered tale of rampant, interconnected malfeasance. Some elements, such as a government bill connected to a space mission, are rather sketchy and digressive even if there will be more to come on such topics in future series installments. Seneca, a minor-character sage without a home, is rather surprisingly hurriedly hustled out of D.C. early on, and it’s left unclear when (or if) this eponymous character will return to this series. Most significantly, characters’ belief in CMC as a noble crusading force is a bit problematic given its huge endowment, its willingness to create havoc by manipulating the use of money, and David’s egotistical rage and despair. The most compelling and successful aspect of this novel is the depiction of Ethan’s Mr. Smith Goes to Washington–like year as a senator. Here, Spencer provides plenty of sadly astute and sometimes-amusing commentary, including Ethan’s wry realization that politicians’ seeming inability to get anything done may be intentional. Ethan’s attraction to Anne, introduced in the previous book, continues to have a noirish appeal, with some intriguing new dimensions provided about her underlying pain. Spencer also sprinkles some metaphysical flavor into the mix, beginning and ending the book with key characters haunted by a menacing, armored figure—if only, perhaps, in their own minds. These existential elements will whet readers’ interest in what’s to come: an apparent apocalyptic showdown between good and evil.An intricate drama offering a critical view of political self-interest.