by Tim Dorsey
Part of Serge Storms, book 3
First published 2002
Marlon Conrad was the perfect Republican candidate. Handsome, safe, and completely owned by special interests, the Florida governor seemed guaranteed another term. Then a military mission in the Balkans changes everything. Conrad returns home with a radical shift in personality just three weeks before the election. He starts talking about reform and real issues as he campaigns across Florida. His traveling companions include an amnesiac speechwriter and a chief of staff who freezes up around minorities. Conrad's sudden attack of conscience threatens to destroy his political career. Worse, it appears that powerful people from Tallahassee to Miami Beach want him dead. The governor must navigate a campaign trail filled with assassination attempts while grappling with his newfound moral awakening. His transformation from political puppet to principled reformer may cost him everything, including his life.
Genres: adventure, contemporary, action, political-thriller
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, moral-awakening
Setting: Florida, Tallahassee, Miami Beach, Balkans
Period: 21st-century
354 pages · Mass Market Paperback · HarperTorch
Content warnings: violence