The Faithless: A Political Thriller Novel - Gripping Suspense for Book Clubs & Political Drama Fans

Jack Patton's father is dying and as a parting gift he leaves his son with a mission: to make a difference. The high point of the elder Patton's life was when he was a Presidential Elector for the state of Texas and cast his vote for Ronald Reagan, so Jack decides to try to become an Elector too in his father's honor. What starts out as a patience-challenging path to the inner circle of his district's Republican party turns dangerous as he comes into contact with a group of political dirty tricksters out to steal the upcoming presidential election for their candidate.On one level this book is an action thriller, and on another level it's a thought-provoking look at the political system in the US. At the local level the political process is often just friends and neighbors sharing a club-like environment, but at the higher levels with higher stakes, it becomes an anything goes bagful of dirty tricks and threats that goes to the highest bidder. The intricacies of the Electoral College are thrown about to the point that what I thought I understood about the system turns out actually to vary from state to state in its implementation. The underlying theme of being able to overturn the results of an election through the subornation of just a dozen or two Electors is eye-opening.There are some rough parts to the story that could have used some shoring up with additional background material or explanations, but overall it packs enough punch to just edge into the 5 star category.Recommended, especially in an election year.