Senatorial Privilege [Mass Market Paperback]

E. J. Gorman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1999

Senator David Cummings is a revered senior statesman who has sent many blessings back to his home state. When a teenage girl is brutally murdered, the senator has his won reasons for seeing that a local youth is convicted of the crime, and only District Attorney Amy McGuire stand's in his way.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This political thriller starts off with a whizbang surprise but offers little of note from that point on. A revered U.S. senator unintentionally kills a teenage girl with whom he had an affair and covers up by pointing the finger at womanizer and lush Richie McGuire, the local country club tennis pro. Only Richie's sister, District Attorney Amy McGuire, refuses to believe her brother has killed; against rising odds, she searches for the truth. Gorman (The First Lady, LJ 12/95) succeeds in keeping up the pace through frequent cuts from scene to scene, but little room is left for character development or the evocation of scene or mood. The story drags on to an unsurprising final surprise and a not-at-all-harrowing last confrontation. The gears creak audibly in this depressingly mechanical thriller. Not recommended.?David Keymer, California State Univ. at Stanislaus, Turlock
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews

Throat-clutching man-on-the-run melodrama that subordinates the D.C. types of the title to Gorman's beloved small-town Iowa. At age 15, Darcy Fuller, whose parents have lived in Crystal Falls for only a year, is already well on her way to becoming the town tramp. She's flirted shamelessly, bedded half the men in town, and photographed them in flagrante with that blackmailer's standby, a hidden camera. Manipulative Darcy's even turned the head of broken-down athlete Richie McGuire, beloved of farmer Susan Kelly, herself long courted by Richie's bitter rival, violent cop Steve Arnette. When Darcy's found dead hours after a devastating public fight with Richie, the stage is set for the weak-kneed local hero to run and hide, pursued by every Crystal Falls native who's motivated by a cash reward. But Richie's sister Amy, the town D.A., can't believe her brother killed Darcy, and it's only a matter of time before she and her long- suffering swain, assistant police chief Sam Bowers, turn up evidence that will implicate photogenic pork-barrel champ Senator David Cummings and his brainy, ruthless sister Helen. An unbroken skein of rapid-fire dialogue stretches by turns Richie, Susan, Amy, and Sam on the old rack of love vs. duty. (There's also a poignant struggle for the soul of sweet, mentally impaired handyman Jimmy Wade, who keeps getting his idol Richie in ever deeper trouble.) Yet since Gorman (The First Lady, 1995, etc.), who's peerlessly effective in turning the screws on his characters--he cuts back and forth shamelessly from Helen searching Darcy's house or Richie being given 15 seconds to come out of his hiding place--loses interest in them when they aren't at greatest risk, the action remains as lightweight as in a summer movie. Familiar types expertly limned. Unlike that much darker Cedar Rapids native Ed Gorman, E.J. gives every single character exactly what he or she deserves. -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Forge; 1 Mass Mkt edition (January 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812550420
• ISBN-13: 978-0812550429
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 1.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,254,472 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Ed Gorman is an award winning American author best known for his crime and mystery fiction. He wrote The Poker Club which is now a film of the same name directed by Tim McCann.

He has written under many pseudonyms including "E. J. Gorman" and "Daniel Ransom." He won a Spur Award for Best Short Fiction for his short story "The Face" in 1992. His fiction collection Cages was nominated for the 1995 Bram Stoker Award for Best Fiction Collection. His collection The Dark Fantastic was nominated for the same award in 2001.

He has contributed to many magazines and other publications including Xero, Black Lizard, Cemetery Dance, the anthology Tales of Zorro, and many more.

Visit his blog at newimprovedgorman.blogspot.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Amateurish, July 20, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Senatorial Privilege (Hardcover)

The flap description led me in, but the book was poorly written. Throughout the book I kept wondering "is this supposed to be serious". Doesn't hold a candle to other mystery writers in my opinion. ...

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not one of the better books I've read!, December 27, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Senatorial Privilege (Mass Market Paperback)

Barely believeable; dull, rambling plot - a number of uncorrected errors - either poor editing or lack of research. Save your money!