Charlie Marder is a World War II veteran and popular academic. He's also an unlikely congressman, thrust into office by his power-broker father's connections. Idealistic and determined, Charlie wants to use his new position for good. He quickly learns, however, that in 1950s Washington, little is as it seems. Struggling to navigate the treacherous waters alongside real-life figures such as President Dwight Eisenhower, Senator John F. Kennedy, and Roy Cohn, Charlie is confronted by a world in the throes of McCarthyism, where no one trusts anyone. His education in the compromising and occasionally illegal ways of Washington makes him question his own ethical compass and the morality of men he admires, including his father.
Alongside his pregnant wife, Margaret, a zoologist with ambitions of her own, Charlie struggles to do what is right while learning more about the mysterious circumstances of his predecessor's death. Amid the swirl of glamorous and powerful politicians and businessmen, a fatal car accident plunges Charlie and Margaret into an underworld of dark bargains, secret societies, and a conspiracy that could change the course of history. When Charlie learns too much, he has to fight not only for his principles and his newfound political career...but for his life.
I saw this one when Tapper was doing the rounds on Late Night (I believe he was on both Colbert's and Meyer's shows) and decided to pick it up. Actually, he was doing the rounds for the sequel, The Devil May Dance, which sounded like an interesting depiction of the Kennedy's and their possible mob ties, so I figured I'd need to read its predecessor. I don't read much historical fiction these days, and even less centered around USA politics, so it was a bit of a gamble for me. In the end, I think I came out about even.
