Politics "Not" as Usual

"Running", by Patrice Fitzgerald is not your run of the mill election story.  Catherine Young is the current Vice President of the United States and has been nominated the Democratic candidate for president in the upcoming election.  Her opposition is Jerusha Hutchins, a beauty-queen type who is married to a very prominent religious figure.

Catherine looks to be a "shoe-in" for the presidency until someone starts blackmailing her about an event in her past.  When she learns that the blackmailer is a member of her own staff the ante is upped and the hunt is on.

This is a thrilling, fast paced novel.  The characters are well-developed and believable.  Fitzgerald does a great job depicting the downward spiral and unraveling of the blackmailer.  Catherine is a strong, independent female character who would certainly get my vote.

I was hesitant when I started the novel as the election cycle had just ended and I was on politics overload.  The story was so compelling though, that I forgot about that in short order.