The Good Lie: A Novel

by Tom Rosenstiel, David Colacci (Read by)

Overview

An intelligent and propulsive international political thriller in which political fixer Peter Rena is hired by the president to investigate the bombing of an American military base overseas When a shadowy American diplomatic complex is attacked in North Africa, the White House is besieged by accusations of incompetence and wild conspiracy theories. Eager to learn the truth, the president and his staff turn to Peter Rena and his partner, Randi Brooks. The investigators dive headfirst into the furtive world of foreign intelligence and national security, hoping to do it quietly. That becomes impossible, though, when it blows up into an all-out public scandal: Congress opens hearings and a tireless national security reporter publishes a bombshell exposé.

Now, Rena and Brooks are caught in the middle. The White House wants to prevent debilitating fallout for the president, the military appears to be in shutdown mode, the press is hungry for another big story, and rival politicians are plotting their next move. Rena learns the hard way that secrets in Washington come with a very high price. 

With intelligence, style, and a breakneck pace, The Good Lie explores the contours of secrets, lies, and the dangers of a never-ending war.

Praise for Shining City:

“One of the smartest thrillers in recent memory.” —Dallas Morning News

“A debut that will be remembered for years.” —Michael Connelly

“Skillful and memorable.” —Wall Street Journal

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781982607937
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	02/12/2019
Edition description:	Unabridged
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 5.70(h) x (d)

About the Author

Tom Rosenstiel is the author of eleven books, four of which are novels. His nonfiction is focused on politics and media, and he is recognized as one of the leading thinkers in the country in the future of media. His book The Elements of Journalism, now in its fourth edition, has been translated into more than 25 languages. Tom is the Eleanor Merrill Visiting Professor on the future of Journalism at the University of Maryland’s Philip Merrill College of Journalism and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. He formerly was the executive director of the American Press Institute and the founder and director of the media research unit at Pew Research Center, which he directed for 16 years. He was the press critic of the Los Angeles Times for a decade and is a non-resident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington. He lives in Chevy Chase Maryland with his wife, Rima.

Editorial Reviews

Gripping, sinister, and so chillingly possible that only a true Washington insider could have written it. The talented Rosenstiel brings his reporter’s clarity and insight to this twisty and provocative thriller exposing the darkest side of politics.” — Hank Phillippi Ryan, author of Trust Me

“Smart, assured and perfectly attuned to today’s toxic politics, The Good Lie hurtles along with the insider excitement of a tell-all Washington blockbuster.” — Dan Fesperman, author of Safe Houses

From the Publisher

Gripping, sinister, and so chillingly possible that only a true Washington insider could have written it. The talented Rosenstiel brings his reporter’s clarity and insight to this twisty and provocative thriller exposing the darkest side of politics.

Hank Phillippi Ryan

Smart, assured and perfectly attuned to today’s toxic politics, The Good Lie hurtles along with the insider excitement of a tell-all Washington blockbuster.

Dan Fesperman

2018-11-13

Two Washington fixers try to uncover the facts behind a military and diplomatic disaster in Africa.

When the U.S. mission in Oosay, Morat, a North African Islamic hot spot, is overrun and destroyed and "renegade" Gen. Brian Roderick is killed, Peter Rena and Randi Brooks, partners in a research consultancy that offers a variety of services, are asked by the president to find out what really happened. The president's questions about the incident have been only partially answered by his advisers and appointees, and the outsiders are seen as an alternate path to the truth. Rena, Brooks, and their researchers get right to work but find themselves stymied wherever they turn. The director of the CIA will not meet with them; representatives of the National Security Agency, Defense Intelligence Agency, and the military muddy the water; some of the surviving personnel on duty in Oosay have disappeared, and the ones who can be located stonewall the investigators. In a gesture more political than practical, an opportunistic congressman manages to convene a committee of inquiry, adding immediacy to the partners' activity. Video footage taken by a drone is discovered and, after much intrigue, eventually viewed by Rena and Brooks, but the video raises as many questions as it answers. What dire truth animates such a coverup? Rena and Brooks persevere, confronting falsehoods and pulling what strings they can to get to the answer. But while the novel provides a realistic and informative portrait of the various ways political, military, diplomatic, and administrative interests compete and interact, it is not a very thrilling thriller. Rena and Brooks are dogged and clever, but most of the rest of the characters are types, and the dangers of secrecy and ambition never seem particularly menacing.

A valuable exploration of the vagaries of power and influence but not always a compelling tale.

Kirkus Reviews