BORN TO RUN
James Grippando
Harper
Thriller
ISBN: 9780061556111
I’m amazed that James Grippando has amassed so extensive a bibliography. BORN TO RUN is his 14th book for adults, his eighth to feature Florida criminal defense attorney Jack Swyteck, yet his voice is still fresh and new. He’s not afraid to take his characters in different directions, and the result is a series that always entertains and never disappoints.
BORN TO RUN finds Jack reconciled with his father Harry and on the uncomfortable cusp of his 40th birthday. Both Swytecks are astounded when Harry is suddenly tapped for the second-highest position in the federal government. The reason for the sudden vacancy is the unexpected death of Phil Grayson, the current Vice President, during a fishing expedition in the Florida Everglades. Jack is touched when he is retained by Harry as his counsel to guide him through the onerous investigative process. But Harry hasn’t even been vetted before Jack begins receiving mysterious phone calls informing him that the person on the other end has information that can make his father President.
Phil’s daughter, a quietly smoldering ingénue who holds some bitter feelings toward her recently deceased father, has received these calls as well, as did a fallen White House intern on the verge of breaking a major story. When the former intern is mysteriously murdered, Jack thinks it’s all too much of a coincidence. Assuming the caller is a crank, he would be a deadly one, so Jack begins an investigation of his own that puts him at loggerheads with his father, who fires him.
Concerned with his father’s well-being, Jack continues his unofficial investigation, which slowly draws him into the orbit of an enigmatic and extremely dangerous character known as The Greek, who in turn holds a secret that has the power to bring down a government. The key is a mysterious event in the past, and for that key, The Greek needs money. When his plot backfires, however, he makes a desperate move that not only puts Jack in terrible danger, but also places FBI agent Andie Henning --- his lover --- in the uncomfortable position of having to rescue him. Theo Knight, Jack’s former client, erstwhile sidekick and bad angel, is there to help as well, but Jack ultimately finds that as his life and the lives of innocents hang in the balance, he will have little to rely on but his wits and instincts.
Grippando has a fascinating track record in his ability to almost presciently write his books around political events that have yet to occur. I will happily admit to being dumbfounded when I discovered that BORN TO RUN raises an issue that was one of the most potentially controversial --- and least investigated --- of the past year, one that may well yet see itself played out in 2009. Given that there is generally a 10-14-month lag between the completion of a novel and its publication, it would certainly seem that Grippando has his mojo working again. Regardless of his apparent gift of prophecy, however, he has crafted yet another engrossing and captivating thriller that will satisfy both readers who are just discovering Jack Swyteck and those who have been along for the ride since the beginning.
--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
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