Customer Reviews

Dark Horse: A Political Thriller

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

In today's volatile political climate, it seems a novel about politics might be eclipsed by the real-life drama playing out in Washington and on news talk shows every day. Yet with an obvious insider's grasp of political life and surprising skill for a first-time novelist, Ralph Reed, a veteran political consultant and former executive director of the Christian Coalition, manages in Dark Horse to present a scenario that is almost as interesting and compelling, if perhaps not quite as dramatic, as the real thing.

The book opens with California governor Robert Long, a moderate Democrat, facing liberal Senator Salmon Stanley for the Democratic presidential nomination. When the Democratic National Convention gets underway with no clear frontrunner, tension rises as campaign aides for both sides work behind the scenes to try to pull out a victory. When the dust settles, Stanley is declared the winner, but Long is not ready to fade into political obscurity just yet--especially since Stanley's victory is marred by allegations of fraud.

Long's campaign chief, Jay Noble, heads to Mexico after the convention to nurse his political wounds, never suspecting that while on vacation he will meet the woman of his dreams. And when Long decides to run for president as an Independent candidate, Noble's vacation is cut short. From there, backroom deals and public grandstanding abound as Long and Stanley battle it out with the incumbent Republican vice-president and with each other.

As the scandal surrounding the Democratic nomination continues to make headlines, the careers of some of Washington's most powerful influencers are at risk. Meanwhile, Andrew Stanton, widely known as "America's pastor," wonders which candidate to support, ensuring the vote of the religious right. Rassem el Zafarshan, a dangerous terrorist with ties to al Qaeda, is on the loose in the U.S., planning an attack that will make 9/11 pale in comparison. And when a leak develops in the Long campaign, all bets are off as election day approaches.

Dark Horse is a fun, fast read plagued with only a few of the usual first-time-author errors. There is some head-hopping (in-scene character point-of-view shifts), and there are lengthy sections that seem to contain too much information and not enough imagery or drama. Probably the biggest flaw in the writing is the sheer number of characters--far too many to keep track of--which is not helped by the similarity of some of the names of characters the reader actually needs to remember. In addition, some characters--particularly females--are more stereotypical and one-dimensional than modern readers have come to expect in this genre. The plot pacing is good, however, despite several loose ends that remain untied by the end of the story. And the prose is for the most part tight and concise; Reed does not resort to the kind of over-the-top description and flowery "extra-literary" language that makes some first novels read like vocabulary primers.

An element in the book that is either interesting or annoying, depending on one's point of view, is the obvious similarity between characters and real-life players on the American political scene. People like Colin Powell, Matt Drudge, James Dobson, George Soros, and others make appearances under thin disguises. This technique works best in a parody setting, like Roland Merullo's American Savior, but the realistic interactions between characters and Reed's firsthand understanding of how politics works help keep any corniness to a reasonable low.

If the book has a morale, it might be, "Follow your heart, and you can achieve your dreams." It's not exactly the most compelling message for a political thriller, but Reed inserts enough redemptive content in the form of one main character's spiritual epiphany to mostly make up for it. Objectionable content is minimal but not entirely absent, as certain characters behave in ways one might expect overpaid and overworked politicians and aides to act under extreme pressure.

All in all, Dark Horse is a better-than-average first novel, and in the relatively under-populated genre of Christian political fiction, it can more than hold its own. It's well worth reading for anyone interested in the sometimes brilliant but often greasy and underhanded way politics is done in Washington. For anyone looking for a break from the everyday drama and intrigue of our real government, Dark Horse is a recommended escape.

Dark Horse is a fast paced story that could have been easily lifted from newspapers or right off of the network news programs. Although it was a little challenging at the very beginning, probably due to the reader being dropped into the middle of a political process with a large cast of characters, Once you sort out the players the payoff is worthwhile. Ralph Reed has been involved in bare knuckled politics for many years. It is obvious from the tags for this book, that he continues to be a lightening rod of vitriol from his political adversaries. I suppose success brings both adoration and vilification.

Notwithstanding all of that, Dark Horse is a fun read, in the way that Bill Buckley's Blackford Oakes series are fun to read. One gets the sense that as this story unfolds the reader is treated to a behind the scenes look at the intrigue of a national campaign. Who better to let us in on that than one who has been in the center of many political storms over the years. Though Reed portrays politicians and religious leaders reasonably realistically, every one appears to be brawlers when the gloves come off in the heat of the battle. it is easy to imagine that much of the story was drawn from Reed's experience as a consultant in the political process and a former candidate for office himself. That little touch of realism makes the story that much more interesting.

If you are looking for a fun read with a little constitutional education and political drama, Dark Horse fits the bill. For the aspiring young politico, Dark Horse captures the heat and emotion and does so in a manner that one would not mind their kids picking up the book and reading it. Hopefully Ralph will give us another book in the no so distant future that extends the story line of some of the interesting characters we have met in this book.

Immediately ordered other book by Reed. Found delivery was excellent and held my attention. Couldn't believe I hadn't heard about this book, as I am an avid reader. Thanks for giving me a forum to share my enthusiam. All of us political animals who were glued to news before Nov. elections loved it. Read "Dark Horse"!!

Reed's interview on The Daily Show made this book sound more interesting than I found it. I appreciate the detail that went into the plot; and i appreciate the character development even better. But I was painfully bored with the story. And since i paid for the thing, i made myself hang in there until the end. There is a fun "thriller" scene buried in the middle of it somewhere that got my attention. Otherwise, for the non-political-junkies out there, don't do it. for the political junkies, it's probabaly a lot of fun.

This was a bit difficult to get into, but soon had my attention. I am amazed that anyone runs for public office, knowing the depths opponents will go to smear them. Ralph Reed knows politics and puts his knowledge out there in an interesting and all too realistic novel.
My only complaint would be his incessant description of every item of apparel that almost every character is wearing. Colors, brand names, height of heels...I really didn't care after the first few instances! His book would have been a much more tightly knit story of suspense without so much unnecessary description of things that were unimportant.
It is still definitely a four-star read, though!
Please remember this for the next book, Ralph:)

For political junkies, this is a fasinating book, especially as respects the present election. It is amazing that Ralph Reed could write a book that, in many ways, follows the present campaigns. We will just have to wait and see if everything works outs as he projects in this book.

This book was okay and very well written, however I have a couple of major problems with it. First of all, it is very easy early on to know who is going to win the election. VERY EASY. And the terrorist plot never lives up to its promise, even though it wasn't 100% successful.....had it been, it still wasn't that horrific to make one forget about September 11 and the major tragedy there....although that is was the book promises. Also, the ending (well, about the last 100 pages) seems very rushed and could have been much longer and more in depth. All in all, a faily good read, though.

Overall I would rate this book a good read. I enjoyed the flow of the book for the first 80%, but the last portion seemed to be paced much differently. The story foillows Governor Robert Long of California as he attempts a rarity in presidential polotics, an independent bid for the presidency. Luckily Long has one of the best political teams ever assembled to back him up. led by the main character of the book, Jay Noble, the best political operative in the business.

After starting sluggish due to the sheer number of characters introduced in the first few chapters the story really kicks into gear and draws you into Long's emotional push to become president. There are multiple villains in the story, so that you can share your animosity with more than one, while rooting for the quintessential underdog.

Ralph Reed does a great job creating amirror socienty to match the modern day one as the embodies the politicians, media and clerical leaders that have a hand in the political process. You will enjoy reading this book and watching the fantastic story become a reality.

I found Dark Horse to be a page turner and a good inside look at the political goings on from various angles: the politicians, their handlers, the media, columnists, the justice system and some education on the election process. Written by a very accomplished political stratagist, Ralph Reed.

From the opening pages until the final sentence, Ralph Reed captured my attention and held it captive with his political thriller. With his years in politics, Reed has the real-life background to build into the characters and storyline for DARK HORSE.

Was it somewhat predictable? Yes, but in my book that is OK as long as you enjoy the characters, dialogue and story. I did. It is well-worth a few hours of reading time. If you are headed on a long plane trip or can spend a few evenings with this tale, I recommend it.