The Means

In his second gripping novel (after The Ghosts of Manhattan), storyteller Brunt examines how all is fair in American hardball politics and cutthroat journalism—how the end justifies whatever means are used to achieve that aim. Tom Pauley, a compassionate conservative trial attorney, successfully campaigns for the North Carolina governorship. GOP leaders convince him to campaign for the White House, but the inept Mitchell Mason leverages his Democratic, blue-blood background to win the presidency. With considerable political posturing, Mason mangles innovators and awards jaded colleagues. The determined and talented Samantha Davis, a litigator-turned-news anchor, seeks to unearth a decade-old scandal that could destroy numerous political careers. Brunt's rousing and relentless pace keeps readers turning the pages through to a startling climax.