NPR Best Book of 2017A polished and gripping political debut that Michael Connelly calls “an edge of your seat thriller,” Shining City is set in DC amid a harrowing Supreme Court nomination fight.“Amazing. . . . Pulses with momentum. . . . A debut that will be remembered for years.” —Michael ConnellyPeter Rena is a “fixer.” He and his partner, Randi Brooks, earn their living making the problems … “fixer.” He and his partner, Randi Brooks, earn their living making the problems of the powerful disappear. They get their biggest job yet when the White House hires them to vet the president’s nominee for the Supreme Court. Judge Roland Madison is a legal giant, but he’s a political maverick, with views that might make the already tricky confirmation process even more difficult. Rena and his team go full-bore to cover every inch of the judge’s past, while the competing factions of Washington D.C. mobilize with frightening intensity: ambitious senators, garrulous journalists, and wily power players on both sides of the aisle.
All of that becomes background when a string of seemingly random killings overlaps with Rena’s investigation, with Judge Madison a possible target. Racing against the clock to keep his nominee safe, the President satisfied, and the political wolves at bay, Rena learns just how dangerous Washington’s obsession with power—how to get it and how to keep it—can be.
Written with razor-sharp political insight and heart-pounding action, Shining City is a hugely impressive debut that announces a major new talent.
more
Excellent political thriller about the vetting of a Supreme Court nominee, with a psycho killer seeking revenge thrown in for good measure. I liked it, well written.
Interesting information on the politics of a Supreme Court nomination. It was a little difficult to keep up with all the characters.
An intriguing insight into the highly politicized selection process for public office in America today. A nearly impossible task. Children beware! A seemingly impetuous student action and/or a possible misjudgment in the early part of a career can be used by those less useful to society to hang you out to dry many years later in the court of public opinion, negating a life time of sacrifice. Fast paced, intriguing and attention holding and all together a wonderful read.
Ok, but dragged at times.
I thought it was a little disjointed. Some parts were hard to follow . I thought newspaper article making connection was really stretching it.
. I.
I like books about politics and this one certainly was a good one. Had some interesting plot in it.
Good story about Washington politics but I have read better.
Just so-so
I saw this book featured as a Serial Read on Nook and decided to give it a go. I don’t usually like political thrillers so this was a little out of my norm for reading material.
Peter Rena and his partner are Fixers, hired to fix problems for their clients. Everything from a Congressperson who has embezzled money to trying to cover up a pro football player’s indiscretions to vetting a Supreme Court nominee seems to be within their purview.
The book was well-written, but it really went into too much detail about political machinations for my taste. According to this book, nobody in DC can be trusted and everybody is ready to stab their counterpart in the back. Maybe this is true, but it sure leaves a sour taste. Maybe this book was just a little too timely in light of everything going on in our country today.
I found myself skimming a lot of the book when it went into great detail about the whole procedure. On top of this, there is the whole separate storyline of a serial killer avenging his brother’s death. Just a little too much going on to make this a great book.
Too much explaining, not enough action
Good mixture of political fiction and murder mystery
A great read! Author skillfully develops characters and takes on a timely topic, vetting a Supreme court nominee. He then weaves into this plot romance and murder with a great ending. Only wish I could write as well.
I enjoyed the Shining City very much and look forward to more fiction from the author.
Books like this are why I read.
Not fun to read. Melodramatic
Timely book. Thoughtful and complex.
A good start to what looks to be a couple of continuing characters. Keep up the good work.
The book gave an unexpected insight into the workings of our government. I felt like the proverbial “fly on the wall.”
Good plotting . Great political insight and good mystery
not easy to read