Political Suicide: A Novel [Hardcover]

Alan Russell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 17, 2003

Will Travis, an investigator who specializes in small-time jobs like looking into employee theft at hotels and bars, falls into a much bigger case when he unwittingly foils a murder attempt on a politician's daughter. Sitting in a hotel bar he sees a man drop something into a woman's drink, then watches as she begins to lose consciousness. Unable to sit by and watch her in peril, he comes to her rescue only to nearly get killed himself by a hitman out to get her.

The woman, Claire Harrington, tells a farfetched but believable story, given what they've just escaped: She's in danger because she believes her father's death--ruled a suicide by the police--was actually murder. What's more, she believes that one of the candidates in the upcoming presidential election was behind it.

Will gets drawn further and further into this dangerous situation, caught between wanting to go to the authorities, whom Claire doesn't trust, and wanting to help her himself. When events begin to spiral out of control, he knows there's no way out until they find the truth, wherever it takes them. Political Suicide is another gripping, edge-of-your-seat thriller from Alan Russell, one of the most ingenious suspense writers working today.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Fans of Helen MacInnes will find a lot to like in the latest suspense thriller from Russell (Exposure), despite a story that basically fizzles out after an exciting start. PI Will Travis, a West Point dropout with a prodigious memory, does jobs that are "mostly corporate undercover." In the bar of a Chesapeake Bay hotel, where Will's on assignment to report on the quality of service, the highly observant investigator sees a man slip something into the drink of an attractive woman. With no time to call the police, Will follows the couple outside, where a hit man takes a shot at him. Will flees with the woman, Claire Harrington, who he learns is the daughter of the late Garret Harrington, a former congressman and West Point grad. (The West Point honor code serves to explain some important character motivation.) Garret supposedly committed suicide a few months earlier, but Claire believes he was murdered and asks Will to help her prove it before they go to the police. She claims the same killers are after her and, amazingly, are acting on behalf of an aspiring presidential candidate. Once Will and Claire escape immediate danger, however, the plot bogs down and comes to a somewhat baffling resolution with more than one loose end. Still, readers will appreciate the author's sense of humor, provocative view of national politics and effective use of the Washington, D.C., area for local color.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Will Travis is the kind of PI who barely registers on the radar of his own profession. When the story opens, he's shopping bars, checking out their service standards, and reporting back to management, about as low a job on the investigative totem pole as there is. But then he foils what appears to be an attempt to murder a young woman, and the would-be victim tells him a wild story about her own father being murdered and the culprit being a presidential candidate. Suddenly, Will's life gets a whole lot more exciting. This is the sort of story that's been done a bunch of times before, but Russell makes it seem new all over again. He's a skillful writer, and his central character, Travis, is a guy we'd like to know: stuck in a bottom-drawer job but possessed of a sharp intellect, a sense of humor, and just the right amount of tough-guy attitude. He's just the kind of character who would make a fine anchor for a private-eye series. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books; 1st edition (December 17, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312314183
• ISBN-13: 978-0312314187
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,574,774 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Political thriller, February 2, 2004

By 

James E. Tenuto (San Diego, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Political Suicide: A Novel (Hardcover)

Alan Russell has written noir private detective novels, comedic crime fiction, an outstanding police procedural, a fascinating psychological thriller and a thriller from the world of entertainment. He now takes a turn at a political thriller.

Political Suicide features private investigator Will Travis, a different kind of "hotel detective". With his near photgraphic memory, Travis evaluates restaurants and hotels, reporting on service issues and employee theft or neglect to his clients. During one of these evaluations he witnesses a man slipping something into his woman companion's drink. Travis rescues the woman, Claire Harrington, inserting himself into a twisted plot of suicide/murder and presedential politics.

One of Russell's hallmarks is to educate his readers on any number of subjects. In past novels he has written about teaching ASL to gorillas, papparazzi, fencing as a true blood sport, redwoods and environmentalism, and any number of other topics. In this book, Russell takes us into the closed world of a military academy, West Point, as well as dueling.

Will Travis, who can trace his family tree back to Colonel Travis of Alamo fame, leaves West Point because of a violation of the honor code. His life has been one of always seeking redemption and forgiveness. A rich, complex character.

This book is a fast read. Entertaining, tightly plotted, with a cast of strong characters. As to the tree...well, I'll let discover that one for yourself.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars strong political thriller, November 26, 2003

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Political Suicide: A Novel (Hardcover)

His license says he's a private investigator but his job calls for him to evaluate the services of client hotels and restaurants. While evaluating the service of the Blue Crab Inn in Maryland, he notices a man put something in a woman's drink at the bar. When she turns drowsy and disoriented, they try to hustle her out but Will Travis pretends to know the woman and gets her away from them. A shootout occurs and a man is dead at the hands of his victim Claire Harrington.

The two escape and team up to get away from the scene of the crime. Claire confesses that her father recently died and the police think it was a suicide but she believes it was murder. The perpetrator is one of the candidates running for President of the United States. Suddenly, Claire and Will are wanted by the state and federal agencies on bogus murder charges and it is clear that the candidate is manipulating events.

Alan Russell's political thriller POLITICAL SUICIDE takes off at light speed and doesn't slow down until the unbelievably exciting climax. The hero is a true patriot, honest to the core and thoroughly likeable thus endearing himself to the audience. The author's story is an indictment of a political system where one needs money, image, spin control, and charisma to ever having a chance of winning office. This political thriller is both timely and exciting.

Harriet Klausner

3.0 out of 5 stars excellent, except for.., June 23, 2007

By 

Boilermaker (INDIANA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Political Suicide (Mass Market Paperback)

This is the first Alan Russell book I've read. It was a fast read, with a flawed, unlikely hero, and good character development. I agree with most of the other reviews, so see them for details. What I wanted to point out was why I gave the book 3 stars, instead of 4 or 5.
There was one event in the book that was so implausible and far-fetched, it almost made me throw the book down in disgust. I'm glad I didn't as the book was pretty good.
The event in question was when Will Travis was chained to a tree after being beaten up. The author spent 8 pages detailing how Will gnawed through the tree (albiet hollow)! I guess he is part beaver! He did chip a tooth and get a sore mouth out of his efforts, but he actually (fictionally) did it.
Anyway, once I put that out of my mind, I was able to finish the book.
It IS a good read.