Tuesday, September 12, 2017

Presidents' Day (Book Review and Giveaway)

Title: Presidents’ Day
Author: Seth Margolis
Publication: Diversion Books, Hardcover, 2017
Genre: Suspense
Giveaway: I have a copy of this book to give away. Please leave a comment if you are interested (US and Canada only).   Tell me what you're currently reading!
Plot: In this ferocious novel of suspense, the presidential race has a number of men all determined to get to the top. Each man has a locked closet of secrets. And one man holds every key.

Julian Mellow has spent his life amassing a fortune out of low-risk / high-reward investments. But the one time in his life he got in over his head, he left another man holding the bag, and made an enemy for life, one who has nothing to lose.

Now, Mellow has an even greater ambition - to select the next President of the United States – and to make that man do his bidding, in business and beyond.
Mellow’s plans relate to an African nation where his son died years before, where a brutal dictator still rules supreme, and where a resistance movement lurks in the alleys, waiting for the right time to strike. Margolis spans the globe to weave together a complex story of politics at its most venal, where murder is a part of the political process, where anyone’s life is up for sale, and where one man – that bad penny of an enemy – could bring the whole kingdom toppling.

In a thriller that will keep you up at night, Seth Margolis asks who really puts the next person in the White House? And at what cost?

Audience: For readers of David Baldacci and Brad Meltzer comes a timely political thriller from the bestselling author of Losing Isaiah.
Seth Margolis

My Impressions: This was an enjoyable suspense novel, perfect for someone like me who devours every Baldacci the minute it comes out. While I missed the humor that Baldacci manages to include in each novel, I love a revenge novel and rooted fiercely for Zach Springer, investment banker scapegoat, who can’t move past Mellow’s betrayal of the years Zach slaved for him. Three years after losing his job and reputation, Zach’s obsession and spying on his former boss have destroyed his relationship with his long-suffering girlfriend but finally paid off with a glimpse of a real conspiracy, yet Mellow and his henchman will kill anyone who gets in their way (and several who don’t).

While Mellow is a one-dimensional baddie (oddly tolerated by a normal-seeming wife), I appreciated the character of Sophie DuVal, model turned revolutionary. Sophie and Melow’s son Matthew were in love but he was killed before her eyes by thugs sent by the corrupt government of the fictional country of Kamalia; hence, her and Mellow’s interest in deposing the Kamalia government. I was less interested in Kamalia (so obscure it only just got a State Department analyst) and Sophie’s idealistic desire to oust the current ruler, but that plot element added an interesting twist to the story.   And who's to say it's really improbable?  There's a reason why book groups are rushing to read It Can't Happen Here.

I imagine most readers, like me, will be extremely annoyed by the conclusion of this book – let me know what you think!

About the Author:  Seth Margolis lives in New York where he works as a branding consultant when he is not writing.  This is his eighth novel.    Connect with him at Website * Facebook * Twitter  
Source: I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher for review purposes.  Please join Seth Margolis as he visits TLC Book Tours with the bloggers below:

Monday, July 31st: Tales of a Book Addict
Wednesday, August 2nd: Write Read Life
Monday, August 7th: Book Nerd
Tuesday, August 8th: Buried Under Books
Thursday, August 10th: Mystery Suspense Reviews
Friday, August 11th: Cheryl’s Book Nook
Tuesday, August 15th: Helen’s Book Blog
Wednesday, August 23rd: Patricia’s Wisdom
Thursday, August 24th: The Book Diva’s Reads
Friday, August 25th: Girl Who Reads
Thursday, August 31st: Bibliotica
Thursday, August 31st: Tome Tender
Monday, September 4th: Jathan & Heather
Monday, September 18th: Brooke Blogs
Thursday, September 21st: Blogging with A

1 comment:

Heather J @ TLC Book Tours said...

Thanks for being a part of the tour!