avid_read's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
kbranfield's review
4.0
4.5 stars.
The Big Lie by James Grippando is a tense legal thriller with an incredibly topical storyline. Although this sixteenth installment in the Jack Swyteck series can be read as standalone, I HIGHLY recommend the previous novels as well.
Opening on election night with current President Malcolm MacLeod winning the electoral college but not the popular vote, the election soon takes a surprising turn. Democratic candidate, FL Senator Evan Stahl Jr., decides not to concede defeat in hopes of finding enough faithless electors to hand him the victory. Florida pro-gun lobbyist Charlotte Holmes is the first elector who goes public with her decision to vote for Stahl. Her decision sets up a legal battle with FL State Attorney General Paulette Barrow trying to prove her an unfit elector. But luckily for Charlotte, she hires lawyer Jack Swyteck to defend her. But with just a few scant weeks until the electors cast their votes, will Jack defeat Barrows' efforts to replace Charlotte with an elector who will cast their vote for MacLeod?
Despite his father's political history, Jack stays firmly out of politics. But with his stepmother not feeling up to attending the election night festivities, he and his father Harry are with Stahl as they await the election results. Although Jack manages to escape attempts to embroil him in political maneuvering, he is surprised when Charlotte hires him to prove she can, in fact, legally cast a vote as a faithless elector.
Paulette Barrow wastes no time coordinating her efforts with MacLeod to eject Charlotte and replace her with a loyal alternate. She does not hesitate to resort to dirty tricks and barely legal arguments. Swyteck thwarts many of her efforts but when a situation turns deadly, does Paulette finally have what she needs to prove her case against Charlotte?
The Big Lie is a riveting legal thriller that has a ripped from the political headline feel that will send chills up voters' spines. The storyline is suspenseful and covers a wide range of relevant topics. Jack is determined to protect Charlotte but with a stubborn client who does not always follow his advice, whether or not he will succeed remains to be seen. With a series of breathtaking twists and turns, James Grippando brings this compelling thriller to an unanticipated shocking conclusion. I absolutely loved and highly recommend this clever addition to the Jack Swyteck series.
The Big Lie by James Grippando is a tense legal thriller with an incredibly topical storyline. Although this sixteenth installment in the Jack Swyteck series can be read as standalone, I HIGHLY recommend the previous novels as well.
Opening on election night with current President Malcolm MacLeod winning the electoral college but not the popular vote, the election soon takes a surprising turn. Democratic candidate, FL Senator Evan Stahl Jr., decides not to concede defeat in hopes of finding enough faithless electors to hand him the victory. Florida pro-gun lobbyist Charlotte Holmes is the first elector who goes public with her decision to vote for Stahl. Her decision sets up a legal battle with FL State Attorney General Paulette Barrow trying to prove her an unfit elector. But luckily for Charlotte, she hires lawyer Jack Swyteck to defend her. But with just a few scant weeks until the electors cast their votes, will Jack defeat Barrows' efforts to replace Charlotte with an elector who will cast their vote for MacLeod?
Despite his father's political history, Jack stays firmly out of politics. But with his stepmother not feeling up to attending the election night festivities, he and his father Harry are with Stahl as they await the election results. Although Jack manages to escape attempts to embroil him in political maneuvering, he is surprised when Charlotte hires him to prove she can, in fact, legally cast a vote as a faithless elector.
Paulette Barrow wastes no time coordinating her efforts with MacLeod to eject Charlotte and replace her with a loyal alternate. She does not hesitate to resort to dirty tricks and barely legal arguments. Swyteck thwarts many of her efforts but when a situation turns deadly, does Paulette finally have what she needs to prove her case against Charlotte?
The Big Lie is a riveting legal thriller that has a ripped from the political headline feel that will send chills up voters' spines. The storyline is suspenseful and covers a wide range of relevant topics. Jack is determined to protect Charlotte but with a stubborn client who does not always follow his advice, whether or not he will succeed remains to be seen. With a series of breathtaking twists and turns, James Grippando brings this compelling thriller to an unanticipated shocking conclusion. I absolutely loved and highly recommend this clever addition to the Jack Swyteck series.
lizzythebookwhore's review against another edition
2.0
Read for a possible summer read. I will not be pitching
lizzythebookworm27's review against another edition
2.0
Read for a possible summer read. I will not be pitching
weaselweader's review against another edition
4.0
“Why would Florida be anything but strange?”
THE BIG LIE is a hard-core legal thriller in a political ambience – the great left wing-right wing divide; American culture; the antiquated and totally misguided implications of the Electoral College rules versus the popular vote; and dirty tricks and dirty politics up the wazoo. The premise of the tale is current, important and eminently plausible. For the sixth time in America’s checkered history, the presidential popular vote LOSER comes out on top when the Electoral College votes are counted on the night of the election. But, leading up to the actual meeting of the college, the likelihood of faithless electors in numbers sufficient to swing the election back to the winner of the popular vote has enraged the Republican President-Elect and current incumbent Malcolm MacLeod. It is clear that he will do anything – whatever it takes – to ensure that does not happen.
At the end of the novel, I walked away with the impression that the thriller was well-written, something beyond pedestrian and merely workmanlike but nowhere near the kind of story that I would award with a characterization of “gripping page-turner”. On the other hand, Grippando’s portrayal of the ugly, nasty, and utterly dysfunctional American political scene was at once brilliant, horrifying, frightening and devastatingly accurate while still managing to be laugh-out-loud, hilarious parody. No reader of either political party will fail to understand that, in THE BIG LIE, MacLeod is spelled “T-R-U-M-P”. And the satire is absolutely delicious. For example, when MacLeod attempts to pillory the Democrat candidate with an accusation that he betrayed his wife with a GAY affair (Gasp! Oh, horrors!), the Democrat response is a brilliant political marketing effort distributing millions of lavender baseball caps sporting the embroidered logo, “Make America Fabulous Again”. I mean, really, how rich is that?
A brilliant political statement that is well worth the read. And a strong ending leaves America’s future wide open to the questions of reality.
Paul Weiss
THE BIG LIE is a hard-core legal thriller in a political ambience – the great left wing-right wing divide; American culture; the antiquated and totally misguided implications of the Electoral College rules versus the popular vote; and dirty tricks and dirty politics up the wazoo. The premise of the tale is current, important and eminently plausible. For the sixth time in America’s checkered history, the presidential popular vote LOSER comes out on top when the Electoral College votes are counted on the night of the election. But, leading up to the actual meeting of the college, the likelihood of faithless electors in numbers sufficient to swing the election back to the winner of the popular vote has enraged the Republican President-Elect and current incumbent Malcolm MacLeod. It is clear that he will do anything – whatever it takes – to ensure that does not happen.
At the end of the novel, I walked away with the impression that the thriller was well-written, something beyond pedestrian and merely workmanlike but nowhere near the kind of story that I would award with a characterization of “gripping page-turner”. On the other hand, Grippando’s portrayal of the ugly, nasty, and utterly dysfunctional American political scene was at once brilliant, horrifying, frightening and devastatingly accurate while still managing to be laugh-out-loud, hilarious parody. No reader of either political party will fail to understand that, in THE BIG LIE, MacLeod is spelled “T-R-U-M-P”. And the satire is absolutely delicious. For example, when MacLeod attempts to pillory the Democrat candidate with an accusation that he betrayed his wife with a GAY affair (Gasp! Oh, horrors!), the Democrat response is a brilliant political marketing effort distributing millions of lavender baseball caps sporting the embroidered logo, “Make America Fabulous Again”. I mean, really, how rich is that?
A brilliant political statement that is well worth the read. And a strong ending leaves America’s future wide open to the questions of reality.
Paul Weiss
sternentinte's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Gun violence
Moderate: Stalking and Infidelity
Minor: Misogyny, Sexism, and Homophobia
skinnypenguin's review
2.0
I had mixed feelings about this book. I really liked the basic storyline but thought that the characterization of the president was way over the top. It was pretty obvious that the author doesn't really like our current president and went beyond mere satire. It got a little old and ridiculous.
Like the Jack Swyteck character and have read most of the previous books in this serious. As in prior books Jack brings in help from his family and friends. In this story his father was a bit more involved and there was some family drama with his stepmother. The basic story of an electorate wanting to change how they voted is a real concern but couldn't really believe that an attorney general would do the things that made up a lot of the story. There were some twists near the end that made it interesting.
Hopefully the next book in this series will be better and will venture out of the realm of politics.
Like the Jack Swyteck character and have read most of the previous books in this serious. As in prior books Jack brings in help from his family and friends. In this story his father was a bit more involved and there was some family drama with his stepmother. The basic story of an electorate wanting to change how they voted is a real concern but couldn't really believe that an attorney general would do the things that made up a lot of the story. There were some twists near the end that made it interesting.
Hopefully the next book in this series will be better and will venture out of the realm of politics.
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