Customer Reviews

The Henderson Equation

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The fall of a British tabloid in the summer of 2011 and the subsequent earthquake in Rupert Murdoch's media empire proved that not much has changed since the 1970s, that paranoid decade of Watergate. There's still much investigative journalism going on. Perhaps the methods have become slightly more brutal, but the power that newspapers hold over politicians is as strong as ever. A British prime minister cherished his friendship with a media mogul, so we've learned. The media watches over the public and the government, but who's watching the media? Eh... the media themselves! All this made reading The Henderson Equation by Warren Adler a curious experience: some thirty odd years after it was first published it is still relevant as hell. What can the average reader like you and me expect? (To know your reviewer: in general I'm a reader of both serious works by authors such as J.M. Coetzee and J.G. Ballard, and purely entertaining works by authors such as Warren Adler, Simenon.) I immediately enjoyed Adler's sketch of the editor in chief, Nick Gold, who is slowly sucked into a political situation surrounding a runner up for the presidency of the United States. Obviously the author is well acquainted with the Washington arena and the offices of a large and influential Washington newspaper. That guarantees a believable setting as well. Warren Adler creates a good balance between the main character's personal life, his beliefs and doubts, his career, his love life (Nick Gold has created quite a challenge for himself I'd say, but I'm not going to spoil it here) on the one hand, and his demanding job as chief editor of the country's most important newspaper on the other. Nick Gold has no one to answer to. So what must he do with his awesome power, the power to make or break politicians? What must he do when push comes to shove? That's tough for any man to deal with. Warren Adler brings his story to a grand ending. I'm happy I read it. See if you like it.

"The Henderson Equation" is a novel about the power of the media. It dares to ask if the media goes too far in its quest to find the truth. Should the media try to bring down a President? Written a few years after Watergate, this is a daring novel, but one that ends up falling flat. Nick Gold is an intriging character, with his ideas about being a Keeper of the Word. Its portrayal of a newsroom is interesting, and the Katherine Graham-like owner is also interesting.