Palace Council

This book prooves that when you find an author that you like, you will like all of the books that they write.

This is the first Stephen Carter book I have ever read. I am sure I will read them all. I couldn't put this book down to go play.

Having read Mr. Carter's previous books, I was anxiously awaiting the arrival of the Palace Council in my local book store. From the first page to the last, I was fully captivated by the rich historical setting and fully developed characters that moved mysteriously throughout the novel. Although I consciously attempted to slowly savor every titillating word written by Mr. Carter, the story tenaciously lured me on to each page. I couldn't help but feel as though I was a fly on the wall of Eddie Wesley. The narration was palpable and the plot compelling. Accordingly, I highly recommend the Palace Council as a "must read". Especially if you have already read New England White and The Emperor of Ocean Park. It is evident that Mr. Carter has delicately established all of his characters, as they weave in and out of the three novels. I can only hope that he will release another novel soon, and allow us into the world of the elite "darker nation" yet again...even if we are already a member.

i never read New England White; the reviews were so-so. I picked Palace Council up because i love mysteries and it was touted as such. It is much much more. The walk through Harlem society was fascinating. Add JFK, Nixon, the FBI, and the CIA and you'd think it was confusing but the writing was so good it just pulled me in. Behind it all is the mystery of what happened to his sister. I couldn't wait to find out but the mystery took second place to the characters, settings, social games, Harlem's social but caste system, and the politics, I loved it!!!!

Although I had heard of Stephen L. Carter long ago, this is the first book of his that I have read. As a Baby Boomer born six years prior to Mr. Carter, I have been living through and following the same historic, modern American events that the author has so explicitly integrated into his complex tale of intrigue. Palace Council displays a clever conceit similar to the one so prevalent throughout the movie, Forrest Gump, in which lead fictional characters intertwine seamlessly with famous figures and events in history. To compound the power of the story, the book is written with the same fascinating depth of family saga that made certain books from an earlier decade such bestsellers. Palace Council, in one way or another, aptly reminded me of Rich Man, Poor Man, Kane & Abel, and All the President's Men. With its plot encircling the interrelationships among Joe Kennedy, his legendary sons, LBJ, MLK, and the grand poohbah himself, J. Edgar Hoover, this book is certainly a second cousin to a lesser-known miniseries that I have always loved entitled Hoover vs. The Kennedys. The punch line is that Palace Council is as good as any of these famous, wonderfully detailed books and movies. Whether or not you believe in conspiracy theories of one theme or another, I feel that most deeply thinking Americans have at least considered this fact. There have been many cases throughout the country's esteemed and infamous history in which, if a conspiracy was not afoot, then our great nation has been ruled either by insufferably long strings of consequence or notions of deep stupidity. I have long harbored at least a few thoughts toward the former simply because the alternative is far less fathomable. Palace Council is one of those poignant, yet on the surface fictional, books destined to pose as many questions about our history as it does answers. Some reviews of Stephen L. Carter's previous novel, New England White, mentioned the complexity of the plot and characters of that book as a negative issue. Although I sincerely think the readers who will enjoy Palace Council the most are ones who are old enough to remember many of the events, the complexity of the plot or characters never even once left me scratching my head in confusion. Certainly this is not a book composed for morons, or even for those who think the antics of Paris Hilton or Lindsay Lohan are news, but is it too obtuse for the citizenry? Never. Palace Council is one whopper of a sophisticated, highly topical, thought-provoking novel. The plotting and editing are impeccable. The storyline is fascinating. Splitting the difference between political nonfiction published by numerous television talking heads and some of the best fictional, epic sagas, Palace Council impressed the hell out of this author and longtime avid reader. This book will reside on my bookshelf with some of my favorite fiction and nonfiction.