Stephen L. Carter

This was very similar to 'The Emperor of Ocean Park' which I have just read: someone dies and leaves mysterious clues for the main protagonist to puzzle out while they work at Elm Harbor University. Here Kellen leaves clues for his former girlfriend Julia. The clues were ridiculously obtuse, Julia and the ex-police officer also trying to get to the bottom of things made enormous deductive leaps, and at one point it seemed as if every inhabitant of Julia's small town was implicated in some way.

The writing was as enjoyable as the first novel, but I found the conclusion to this one morally disgusting and I can't decide where the author wanted the reader to stand on the issues.… (mehr)

This is long and slow moving and occasionally repeats itself, but I loved the writing and the characterisation, especially of the narrator, Misha, who must uncover the 'arrangements' everyone (from hitmen to the FBI) believes his dead father has informed him about. It takes Christianity and racial politics seriously in a way I do not often encounter, without coming to trite conclusions. I sought this out on a recommendation from my local library for legal thrillers, but although most of the characters are lawyers, judges or law professors, none of the scenes take place in a court, so I was mis-sold there, but am nevertheless glad to have discovered this series.

Recommended.… (mehr)

It was mere coincidence that I picked this book up from a used book sale shortly before the current impeachment inquiry began.
The author makes it clear in his afterward that he does not think that Lincoln should have been impeached, he merely took an argument that has been discussed among historians and formed an alternative history- that is; if Lincoln had not been assassinated, would he( rather than Johnson) have been impeached? If he had been impeached, what would have been the outcome?

This was a great book to read as a follow- up to Gore Vidal's book, "Lincoln" The book raises some interesting questions about history's interpretation of Lincoln and his motives. Has Lincoln's reputation as a much loved president, who saved the Union and freed the slaves, been influenced by his assassination? Would his reputation have been different if he had lived and possibly faced a political backlash by both Democrats as well as radical Republicans?

The book is a political "whodunnit" with a fast moving plot and very believable characters- some fictional and some who were contemporaries of Lincoln. Many of these real life characters also appeared in the Vidal novel.
The book also thoroughly describes the impeachment process, both politically and constitutionally.
I highly recommend this novel for lovers of history and politics.
… (mehr)

Religion and his place in American public and private life are a theme that has consistently remained at the center of our national debate. In recent years, many political leaders and opinion makers have come to view any religious element in public discourse as a tool of the radical right for reshaping American society so in our zeal to keep religion from dominating our politics, we have constructed political and legal cultures that force the religiously devout to act as if their faith didn't really matter. In the Culture of Disbelief, Stephen L Carter explains how we can preserve the vital separation of church and state while embracing rather than trivializing the faith of millions or treating religious believers with disdain.… (mehr)