This is the first book I’ve read by Ms. Rouda and I’m pretty sure it will be the last.

This is ostensibly the story of a crooked (what other kind is there?) congressman and his wife who assumes his congressional seat when he dies and the multitude of behind the scenes shadiness that plays out. But all the characters are one-dimensional cutouts with no substance and none of them, not one, has any redeeming qualities to make you care about them.

The closest I could come to finding any interest in the story was that many of the characters reminded me of some of the corrupt congressional members and their unscrupulous staffs that I’ve had to deal with over the years. They had no redeeming qualities either. If you think that you’re disgusted by what you see of them in public or on the evening news, you would be completely overcome with loathing to see their behavior without their veneer of respectability.

(By the way, there ARE some good ones, but they are few and far between)

But I think my biggest disappointment with this book was the “style” of writing the author employs. It was not enjoyable to read and, in many instances, seemed like it had been thrown together like a word salad. In addition, the dialogue was unbelievable. I don’t know many people who actually converse in the manner that is portrayed. Point of view was constantly changing, however that POV was consistently “What can I do to screw over this person?”

But, Ms. Rouda is a bestselling author, so perhaps that is the style of the day these days. If so, I hope to avoid any such modern style in my future reading.

I’m glad I didn’t pay for this book. Even as a free book, it left me feeling like I was ripped off in terms of time and effort to complete the story.

Highly NOT recommended!