A rollicking political satire that hides unsettling possibilities beneath its outrageous twists.
Swanson’s satirical thriller turns a cynical power grab into a zany political adventure.
President James Frederick Herdener is a swaggering, self-aggrandizing populist whose constant self-comparisons to past presidents may remind readers of certain current political figures (Herdener on George Washington: “Washington, he was a schmuck. Not that good a general”). Evil, scheming billionaire Rudolph Conover sees Herdener less as a leader than as an opportunity. A reclusive oligarch who regards himself and his wealthy allies as Nietzschean “supermen,” Conover summons Republican National Committee chair Teresa Gardelli and pressures her into helping to orchestrate an audacious plan to win control of enough state legislatures to force a constitutional convention, rewrite the nation’s governing rules, and consolidate extraordinary power around Herdener. Meanwhile, in rural Ohio, successful manufacturer Hannis Cleer decides to run for the state legislature. More moderate than many fellow Republicans—he is pro-choice, supports gun restrictions, and favors broader health care initiatives—Cleer recognizes that running as a Democrat would be political suicide in his district. He also carries a shocking private secret that could easily be used against him. As Conover pours money into races, installs useful allies, and collects compromising information, the narrative follows a sprawling cast of crooked politicians, wacky businesspeople, conflicted operatives, and unsuspecting families through election season and the increasingly dangerous execution of Conover’s scheme as numerous worlds and secrets collide. Swanson’s satire is rarely subtle, but the targets are sharply drawn, and the novel moves at an impressive clip. The enormous cast could easily become unwieldy, but shifting perspectives keep the conspiracy legible while giving even broadly comical figures distinct motives and vulnerabilities. There is no obvious hero, which sometimes leaves the story without a strong emotional center, but this approach also suits a narrative in which nearly everyone is compromised. The dialogue occasionally strains beneath the political and constitutional exposition, but the brisk pacing reliably carries readers toward more outrageous surprises and alarming political maneuvers that, despite the novel’s zaniness, feel disconcertingly plausible.
A rollicking political satire that hides unsettling possibilities beneath its outrageous twists.Pub Date: Sept. 10, 2026
ISBN: 9781968761882
Page Count: 300
Publisher: Mission Point Press
Review Posted Online: Aug. 21, 2026
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
The story unfolds so irresistibly that newcomers may think Grisham’s been writing thrillers like this his whole life.
What hasn’t legendary legal eagle Grisham tried yet? How about a thriller about serial kidnapping and international terrorism.
When Paul and Chelsea Tanner disappear during a day trip on their Paris honeymoon, their abductors demand a ransom of $2 million from Chelsea’s wealthy parents, and a few days later the same sum from Paul’s much less well-heeled parents. After orthopedist Lowell Clayburn, Chelsea’s father, ponies up the ransom without breathing a word to the authorities, his daughter is promptly released. But even though Paul’s parents sell their home, liquidate their assets, and borrow money from the Clayburns to meet the kidnappers’ demands, the villains hold on to Paul anyway. Asked whether he’s ever seen such an outcome in a double kidnapping, FBI deputy director Andrew Strong tells Lowell: “No, this is a new one.” But it’s not, as Strong knows all too well; it’s the third such active case, all involving honeymooning couples whose bridegrooms had served in the armed forces. After masterfully drawing readers in with his bare-knuckle account of the Tanners’ abduction and the attempt by their families and the CIA to tell the lies required to keep caring friends and the rapacious press at bay, Grisham effortlessly switches gears to follow CIA agent Rae Claire Russo and Stuart Nash, a former Department of Justice prosecutor at Guantanamo Bay who agrees to marry her so they can serve as bait for the kidnappers, whose motives include justice and revenge as well as cold hard cash. So much for the imprisoned Paul’s wistful reflection that “hopefully, it was only about money.”
The story unfolds so irresistibly that newcomers may think Grisham’s been writing thrillers like this his whole life.Pub Date: Sept. 29, 2026
ISBN: 9780385550543
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Doubleday
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2026
A tasty, if not always tasteful, tale of supernatural mayhem that fans of King and Crichton alike will enjoy.
Are we not men? We are—well, ask Bigfoot, as Brooks does in this delightful yarn, following on his bestseller World War Z(2006).
A zombie apocalypse is one thing. A volcanic eruption is quite another, for, as the journalist who does a framing voice-over narration for Brooks’ latest puts it, when Mount Rainier popped its cork, “it was the psychological aspect, the hyperbole-fueled hysteria that had ended up killing the most people.” Maybe, but the sasquatches whom the volcano displaced contributed to the statistics, too, if only out of self-defense. Brooks places the epicenter of the Bigfoot war in a high-tech hideaway populated by the kind of people you might find in a Jurassic Park franchise: the schmo who doesn’t know how to do much of anything but tries anyway, the well-intentioned bleeding heart, the know-it-all intellectual who turns out to know the wrong things, the immigrant with a tough backstory and an instinct for survival. Indeed, the novel does double duty as a survival manual, packed full of good advice—for instance, try not to get wounded, for “injury turns you from a giver to a taker. Taking up our resources, our time to care for you.” Brooks presents a case for making room for Bigfoot in the world while peppering his narrative with timely social criticism about bad behavior on the human side of the conflict: The explosion of Rainier might have been better forecast had the president not slashed the budget of the U.S. Geological Survey, leading to “immediate suspension of the National Volcano Early Warning System,” and there’s always someone around looking to monetize the natural disaster and the sasquatch-y onslaught that follows. Brooks is a pro at building suspense even if it plays out in some rather spectacularly yucky episodes, one involving a short spear that takes its name from “the sucking sound of pulling it out of the dead man’s heart and lungs.” Grossness aside, it puts you right there on the scene.
A tasty, if not always tasteful, tale of supernatural mayhem that fans of King and Crichton alike will enjoy.Pub Date: June 16, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-9848-2678-7
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Del Rey/Ballantine
Review Posted Online: Feb. 9, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK TO SCREEN
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
