The Last Debate – Jim Lehrer

The Last Debate – Jim Lehrer

“The Last Debate” is a page turner, an easy, quick read, good for the beach or a night of insomnia. Even though much of it was predictable, I was tantalized enough at each stage to continue on.

That said, however, the plot is hardly realistic. Any decent journalist (and the hero Howley was characterized as such) or news organization possessing the “explosive” goods on one of the candidates, would check it out carefully unlike the four debate panalists. Furthermore, it is hard to believe that a candidate who behaved as the Republican candidate did could get as far as he did without at least one or two of his accusers (and there were many!) not going public much earlier on, i.e., during the primaries. Look what happened to Clinton in 1992 — not to mention 1998. The “minority” journalists are one dimensional and stereotypical. Still, given the weaknesses in the plot, it was an interesting read, and I’m trying one more Lehrer fiction piece to see if he does any better.

Give it a shot!!