Customer Reviews

The Incumbent

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Sometimes you walk into a bookstore simply hoping to find something to pass the time until the next book by one of your favorite authors finally comes out. I was fortunate to run across THE INCUMBENT on just such a day, and I am very glad I did. Brian McGrory has written an outstanding first novel that brings a breath of much-needed fresh air into the political thriller genre.

McGrory, a reporter and columnist for a Boston newspaper, does what many first novelists do--bases his protagonist on himself in order to write about familiar places and situations. Unlike most first novels, however, McGrory does so without overdoing it. Jack Flynn, the reporter at the heart of the story, is a main character that many readers can identify with--he loves his job and has had his share of personal tragedies to accompnay professional successes. While researching a story on presidential pardons, Flynn is suddenly thrust into the middle of an assassination plot while golfing with the president, Clay Hutchins, just as Hutchins offers him a job as press secretary after the election two weeks hence. Flynn finds himself, ironically, the center of media attention and in the middle of what could be the biggest story of his career. As the plot unfolds, McGrory takes the reader on an interesting journey through the "life" of a story and builds to an exciting--if marginally unbelievable--conclusion. Along the way, Flynn's life is threatened on a number of occasions and it remains unclear until well into the book who the shadowy figure stalking Flynn really is. McGrory does a nice job in interweaving the back story into the main plot, never giving too much away until the reader has already pieced most of the puzzle together for himself.

If the book has any flaws, they are mostly the by-products of the book's length--I would have enjoyed a little more detail about Flynn's meetings and history with Sammy Markowitz and in other places in the narrative. McGrory's climax and denouement are questionable, but this is excusable to a certain extent given the book's main problem. Without giving the plot away, it is unlikely in the extreme that Curtis Black could have achieved what he did in this era of media scrutiny. Nevertheless, this plot contrivance is only a minor irritant in an otherwise well-written and surprisingly thoughtful novel.

Overall, this is certainly a solid book, and one only hopes that McGrory takes the time to demonstrate his talents for political fiction again...and soon.

I've always thought that a fast moving, unpredictable plot was enough to satisfy your average thriller reader. I am not not your average thriller reader. In fact, I never read thrillers because I don't feel like I learn enough from them. The Incumbant is different. It offered much more than just a whodunnit with the usual twists. Instead it provided a realistic, sometimes humorous view of the world of White House reporting. I was a White House correspondent for a news service for six years and Mr. McGrory captured not only the difficulty the job entails but also the absurdity of the beat. Readers can't help liking Jack Flynn, the book's hero. He is self-deprecating enough to make you root for him yet cocky enough to be believable as he looks for answers to a presidential assassination attempt. That mix gives the book its strength. The fact that the plot twists and turns when you least expect it only makes an already admirable first book effort from Mr. McGrory that much better. The Incumbant is fast paced enough to be read in a sitting on a rainy afternoon, but that does it a disservice. There are nuances in the work that ought to be savoured. There are laugh out loud jokes. And there are tender moments, regarding Flynn's marriage for example, that give the book a depth that can be missed by a quick reading. I hope there are more books to come from this talented new author.

THE INCUMBENT might not be the very best polictical thriller that I have ever read, but for a first novel, I rate it 4 stars. Brian McGrory has done a good job with his "hero" Jack Flynn. The obvious plot flaws, as pointed out by other reviewers, do not detract from the storyline, it just carried me along to its exciting conclusion. The author paints a good picture of DC politics and the many journalists who cover the President of the United States. I felt as if I were right in the White House briefing room. McGrory does not mind making jokes at the expense of his fellow journalists-himself included. Read this book and learn how jounalists should feel about the government and the Constiution of the United states. The fictional President Hutchins has quite a past-judge for yourself! The highest praise that I can give the THE INCUMBENT is that I will probably read his next book.

The Incumbent was the most thrilling and interesting reads I have had in my possession in over a year. The insider's perspective of Washington politics and journalism adds volumes to the plot and characters. The Incumbent begins to hold your interest immediately, then owns your attention throughout while entertaining with a captivating armored bank heist, interesting characters(both endearing and evil), internal workings within the FBI and a realistic brush with a Militia Camp. It is also extremely humorous, which delighted me. I am a huge fan of Stuart Woods and James Patterson. But I think I have found my new favorite author and fervently hope that McGrory has another book in him.

While I am not a fan of the typical thriller genre, I loved The Incumbent because it includes everything the traditional suspense novel usually lacks. As one would expect from a novel lauded by the likes of Bob Woodward, it is an accurate and telling portrait of Washington politics and the press corp that chronicles it. And yes, the plot does keep you on the edge your seat. But the dirty little secret about The Incumbent is that is also laugh out loud funny. The dialogue is so true that it often reads more like it was written by a seasoned screenwriter than a first time suspense novelist. Driven by characters, not just a who-done-it plot, The Incumbent is a must read for anyone who likes good books....not just good thrillers.

This book grabbed me from the first page, not only for it's plot, but for the development of the characters and the humor they all had. It's the first book I've ever read that seemed to accurately portray the way politicians and reporters relate to one another. And some of the scenes inside the Oval Office made me feel like I was there. Such a great read I didn't want it to end.

I picked this book up on a whim at LAX for a flight back East, and didn't put it down on the entire trip. The main character, Jack Flynn, is the most likable hero in any thriller I've ever read. He's got a heartbreaking backstory that I won't reveal here (it brought me to tears at two points in the book) combined with this razor-sharp humor. There's a one-liner on almost every page that made me at least smile, if not laugh out loud.

All this, and it gave great perspective on the White House and what it's like to be a reporter covering the President of the United States. I learned more about national politics and journalism from reading this book than from a month of reading the newspaper. If the book has a pitfall, there's an awful lot of profanity, but maybe that's just the way reporters talk. Here's hoping we haven't seen the last of Jack Flynn.

This thriller was certainly the best I have read in my life. If you don't mind seeing f*** every page a couple of times then you have no problems. If you do, still read it.

The Incumbent is a political mystery about a reporter for a Boston tabloid (the Record) by the name of Jack Flynn. One day after running a presidential pardon story and sending a letter to the President, Clayton Hutchins, Hutchins invites him to the golf course where a bullet is fired that lands both Hutchins and Flynn in the hospital. The Story is about Jack Flynn trying to figure out who shot it and why. There are many twists and turns on the way there.

Gee, this was a good book but not as terrific as other reviewers seem to think. He ties things up at the end and the pieces fit (which is more than what one could write about other mysteries and, apparently, contemporary politics) but the scenario is not plausible. Still an engaging read and far better than Baldacci.

This was one of the best books I've read in months and months, if not years. The plot was riveting, but far beyond that, the characters were real and full and funny, with backgrounds and traits that made you feel invested in their lives. And beyond even that, this book gave a fascinating inside view of how reporters really get their stories, and how they get along with the people they cover -- in this case, the president of the United States. After reading this, I feel like I've been in the Oval Office.

A great read.