Manifest Destiny and the Art of the Political Thriller
Wherever there is fighting, American sends it envoy.
-Warren Zevon
One of my favorite writers is Fletcher Knebel. Knebel was a writer in the 1960s who mastered the art of political fiction.
Knebel wrote 15 books, all which I read, and many were best sellers. Seven Days in May went to number one and became a major motion picture starring Burt Lancaster and Kurt Douglas.
With his third book, Manifest Destiny, Rick Robinson has established himself as the Fletcher Knebel of the 21st century.
Manifest Destiny is unquestionably Robinson's best book. Like his previous efforts, Maximum Contribution and Sniper Bid, the plot involves the mythical Congressman Richard Thompson of Kentucky.
Robinson was a longtime congressional staffer, and is a Kentucky political insider. Robinson made an unsuccessful run to replace his boss, Jim Bunning, in Congress when Bunning moved to the Senate.
The Thompson character seems to be a fictionalized version of Robinson himself.
In Manifest Destiny, Robinson weaves a lot of "inside the beltway" background into a thriller along the lines of a Tom Clancy novel.
Manifest Destiny is where The West Wing meets the Bourne Identity.
I don't want to give away the plot but the book is a page turner with an international flavor. It seems likely to be developed into a motion picture. In all of his books, Robinson has an affinity for quoting Warren Zevon and other rock stars. Readers will find that Zevon's Envoy is a perfect theme for Manifest Destiny.
Is Main Street Ready for the Second Wave of the Recession?
Kentucky Rain keeps pouring down. And up ahead's another town that I'll go walking through. With the rain in my shoes.
~ Elvis Presley
Click on picture to buy "Kentucky Rain" on iTunes!
I've been driving through small towns in Kentucky and I keep seeing the same thing. Businesses that have suddenly closed or are holding "going out of business" sales.
Bank of America, Whoppers and What is Wrong with America
Hold the pickles, hold the lettuce, special orders won't upset us
-Burger King jingle
Wall Street and Legalized Loan Sharks
In my childhood, Northern Kentucky was a hot spot for organized crime. In a town full of hustlers, prostitutes and gamblers, the profession they looked down on was loan sharking.
It wasn't unusual for a loan shark to wind up floating in the Ohio River. One of the biggest names in the business, Frank "Screw" Andrews, (who is a central character in Hank Messick's book, Syndicate Wife) "accidentally fell" out of a 4th floor window.
Money, Medicine, and the Magic Pill
One pill makes you larger and one pill makes you small.
And the one that mother give you, don’t do anything at all.
-Jefferson Airplane
Don McNay's 2010 Book Tour
Information about Don McNay's 2010 Book Tour click read more to see the video
Son of a Son of a Gambler Book Tour
The "Double Down," book tour for the Son of a Son of a Gambler book is almost finalized.
The book, 'Son of a Son of a Gambler, Winners, Losers and What to Do When You Win the Lottery," has ridden a wave of world wide media attention and shot to its highest levels on the sales charts.
