I received a note this morning from Neal Rechtman, who is the author of a political thriller called The 28th Amendment which was published earlier this year by Bascom Hill. “I just finished reading The Coup last night. As I’m sure you know, the last few dozen pages you can’t put it down: it’s a very well-paced read.” Later, Neal posted this review on amazon.com: Leave aside the fact that Malanowski has written a totally credible scenario for DC political intrigue, with characters who are life-like composites of public figures that everyone will recognize; leave aside the fact that every fifth page you end up howling with laughter; and leave aside the fact that you can’t put it down at all for the last 50 pages; at the end, I’m left feeling scared. Here we are as a society, with our powerful press, our 3-way checks-and-balances government, and the most stable and transparent democracy in the history of the planet, and Malanowski comes along to remind us that it’s all for naught: no matter how advanced our democracy, and how thorough our vetting processes, our nation’s fate is (and always has been) determined by a handful of individuals whose PRIVATE agendas and decisions will never be seen or known. It’s the same unease I get from reading one of Gore Vidal’s “State of the Union” essays from the 1980.” Thanks, Neal! You so totally get it!
