The Nominee

by Brian McGrory

Book Overview

A sizzling thriller from Washington press insider McGrory, who stormed to the top of the political suspense A-list with his highly praised, national bestselling debut The Incumbent. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0743403525
• ISBN13: 9780743403528
• Release Date: September 2002
• Publisher: Atria Books
• Length: 376 Pages
• Weight: 1.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.3" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

Jack Flynn wins again...and it's even more fun...

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.

An Author who can WRITE!

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.

A Riveting Well Plotted Action Thriller With One Major Flaw

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 t

Welcome back, Jack Flynn

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.

A Reader from Boston Loves this Book!!!!!!

I have been patiently waiting for two years for McGrory's second book to be published. Waiting for me at my doorstep one night last week, I opened it immediately and read until well after midnight, woke up the next morning, read until I finished and went into work late. What a book! The wait was worth it!! The voice of Jack Flynn again entertains and teaches lessons on life and of the newspaper business, while involved in a whiteknuckled plot full of satisfying twists and turns. Newly introduced characters are absolutely delightful and so colorful, I want to meet them. Based in Boston, the story paints a picture of a City that will make every reader want to visit, from the pristine Public Garden at the foot of Beacon Hill to the seedy Combat Zone in Chinatown. A superb storyteller, McGrory weaves together politics, law enforcement and the media to fully engage the reader from start to finish. I don't want to give anything away, but there are two scenes in this book that are laugh out loud priceless: a blind date in Cafe Louis and a Sunday morning excursion to a bar in Boston's almost extinct Combat Zone. You'll understand when you read the Book. ...