The Big Lie

A Jack Swyteck Novel

By: James Grippando

Narrated by: Jonathan Davis

Length: 11 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's summary

As the Electoral College battle for the White House lands in a Florida courtroom, Miami attorney Jack Swyteck has never felt farther from the truth, fighting for a faithless elector, caught between a corrupt president and his manipulative opponent - with each revelation more explosive than the next.

The country is reeling. For the sixth time in American history, the winner of the popular vote will not occupy the Oval Office. President Malcolm MacLeod, the Machiavellian incumbent, was spared from impeachment only because his political foes were certain they would oust him at the ballot box. Now, he appears to have secured a second term, thanks to a narrow victory in the Electoral College.

His opponent, Florida Senator Evan Stahl, saw his campaign rocked by allegations of an extramarital affair - with another man. Despite the salacious headline-making scandal and the surrounding media frenzy, most Americans chose Stahl to lead the politically polarized nation. But Stahl is refusing to concede. Backed by millions of supporters, he looks to individual members of the Electoral College to cross party lines.

Gun lobbyist Charlotte Holmes is one of Floridas 29 electors who is bound by law and by oath to cast her vote for MacLeod, who won Florida by the thinnest of margins. When Charlotte announces that she intends to vote her conscience and throw the Electoral College to Stahl, the president and his Florida machine haul her into court on felony charges - which, for some, isn't nearly punishment enough.

Miami attorney Jack Swyteck is going to use every legal maneuver he can to keep his new client free - and alive. MacLeod's hand-picked prosecutor is determined to prove Charlotte is unfit to cast a vote. Dredging through her past, he's looking for skeletons to humiliate and discredit her, while others with far deadlier intentions have begun acting on their threats.

As the pressure mounts, Charlotte and Jack must decide how far they'll go to stand their ground in the stand-your-ground state.

©2020 James Grippando (P)2020 HarperAudio

Very bold choice!

This is a controversial topic. Read the printers summary before you buy. It’s more political than many might be comfortable with. On the hand, it’s funny as heck if politics don’t bother you. And as usual, it’s very well written. James Grippando is an amazing author. This one won’t disappoint if you can get past the politics.

Solid

Just getting to know Jack so don’t love him unconditionally yet. Not sure if I ever will but I do like him enough to listen to another book or two. Solid characters, some quite interesting. I recommend.

Great story!

Grippando’s books just keep getting better and better! This won’t disappoint. Great story line, especially given the political times we live in.

Grippando and the Big Lie

It's Political and sometimes I even found it funny. It doesn't matter what side you are on, I think you will enjoy it. It is obvious which side Grippando leans, but it okay because he lets you feel the characters. Jonathan Davis has always read the stories well.

If You Cannot Stand the Heat, Stay Out

This is a one of the best stories of this author’s work for overall clever plot, mystery and entertainment. Read the publishers summery and the reviews if you get riled up over author’s choice of plot characterization. This is fiction so if it sounds too familiar to “ a do not discuss” during a dinner party subject, then this may not entertain you. I am not the biggest fan of this author and I have not read the entire series, but I love narrator Jonathan Davis, my fave is Sandra Brown’s Mean Streak in which I discovered Mr Davis. Since Mr Davis does a lot of the Sci Fi genres, not fan of it, I always look for a mystery or thriller he does, hence this author’s work when the reviews are good from Shelly and Wayne. I do use the 1.2 speed, give it a try.
Were my comments of help?

Always up for a Swyteck story

Just another solidly entertaining, well written novel with a good story and likable cast pod characters. Grippando does good work.

Grippando likes to take chances!

With the political climate today any book dealing with politics has the potential to be explosive and not necessarily in a good way!
Yes this book begins as a political mystery but I would not call it a book about politics. The overtones are there and the timeliness is certainly relevant but...
The story explains how a candidate can win a popular vote but loose at the electoral college and an unpopular president can wind up getting re-elected.
When one woman with an electoral vote changes her mind and decides to vote against the sitting president and vote against her own party, there are many that would be happy to see her disqualified or dead. And although the presidency is a focal point the is much more going on.
The only similarities I saw in this book and our current President was in the popular vs electoral college votes and that the fictional president is also addicted to tweeting.
Jonathan Davis does a wonderful job narrating.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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A little tough if you lean to the right.

I love the Swytek stories and the Davis Narrations are always top notch. When Grippando does politics he is usually quite fair and reasonable to all sides. He tried on this one but had a Trump like character that could have been written by the folks at SNL for Baldwin. Otherwise great work as Always.

Very Good

I always enjoy Grippando and this is one of his best. Characters are very well developed.

Thinly veiled political hit that didn't have to be

When I want to read/listen to a novel, I want it to be just that. I don't want it to be a political hit on ANY political party or ideology. This would be an absolute 5 star book if the writer had just stuck to HIS story.

We have a chosen elector in a presidential race who is bothered by the fact that one presidential candidate has won the electoral college, but his opponent has won the popular vote. Furthermore, even though she has sworn an oath to vote for the Republican candidate, the elector has lost faith in that candidate. She announces that she will vote for the other candidate - which would give the loss to the incumbent.

The popular vote candidate is the incumbent who was only spared impeachment because the election was close and the liberal party figured they'd just get him at the ballot box. The incumbent is trailing badly until a salacious story breaks about the his opponent and the suggestion that he might be gay. The incumbent squeaks by with the majority of electoral votes. It's suggested this was so because of the salacious story that no one even knows if actually true.

SO you can see, this WOULD be an interesting story, except for the fact that the writer assigns very identifying characteristics to President Trump, his perchance to tan, supposed loss of the popular vote in 2016, the Republican candidate, his name calling, possible impeachment (which in real life the Democrats went through because they couldn't beat him at the ballot box) but the author can't even admit that! Not all the characteristics identified are even true of the President, but a large majority of these characteristics the author assigns are ones that have been bandied about in today's media as being true. No one can doubt who the author has targeted as the "bad guy".

The narration is great, the characters are interesting and of course the story is very plausible and something that was discussed after the fateful loss by Democrats in 2016 - could they get enough electors to switch from their sworn duty in order to "do what was right" in the minds of liberals.

Some reviewers contend the book is not political, they are fudging. It is VERY political when you have one political character so identifiable for all the wrong reasons but none of the good qualities are presented; trust me, the incumbent doesn't have a nice bone in his body, does not care about his country and basically is an imbecile.

I'm just SO disappointed that the author chose to make his character with the identifying factors of a real person. And why is it that authors keep choosing the Republican/Conservative candidate to be the bad guy? Does it really make any difference which party is which? So yes, we know what the author thinks of President Trump - but I didn't pay for his book to hear HIS opinion. Credit back please!