Favorite Son

I first bought this book back in '87 when I was just fourteen years old and, to be honest, my sole motivation for the purchase came from the pre-publications publicity dealing with the novel's somewhat explicit sex scenes (actually rather tame by today's standards). I recently sat down and reread the book and discovered that, hidden amongst an overly complex and trashy plot, Favorite Son was actually a moving examination of the loss of innocence in 20th Century America.The plot deals with the aftermath of the attempted assasination of Sen. Terry Fallon, a charismatic liberal from Texas who becomes an American hero and a potential Vice President. Unfortunately, Fallon remains a rather flat character. Luckily, even if Fallon doesn't engage the imagination, Sohmer has created a rogue's gallery of other characters who really stick with you. To echo many others, aging FBI agent Mancuso is truly one of the most engaging, likeable characters I've come across in a long time. At the end of the book, I actually did find myself saddened to be parting his company. As I think someone else said, its a shame Sohmer didn't write more Mancuso novels.

Political intrigue in the USA, very clever. The author is great, it's a pity he didn't write many other books...

mmm