The Lucky Ones - Hardcover

Far too many characters mar what could have been an engrossing story of a ruthless presidential campaign. The upcoming election, year unspecified, in Mortman's latest (True Colors, 1995, etc.) might just as well be a reunion of the Yale Law School, class of 1960-something. Everyone here is, rather improbably, either a former classmate, related by blood, marriage, or--even less likely--the former lover of at least two other characters. Even the twin protagonists, foreign-policy expert Zo‰ Vaughn and Democratic presidential candidate Ben Knight, were college lovers at Harvard; a series of misunderstandings led to their breakup and Ben's marriage to Felicia, a relative of Zo‰'s best friend, the TV journalist Celia Porter. Now Felicia is dead (thanks to a car accident) and Ben wants Zo‰ to join his campaign: Trouble with the former Soviet Union and a kidnapping plot (which is almost as confusing as the character list) require a foreign policy expert with a firm touch, and Zo‰'s the tops. Meanwhile, popular Texas congresswoman and die-hard party supporter Georgie Hughes (a younger version of Ann Richards) is working for the Republican candidate Scottie Edwards; she's also part of an old circle of friends that includes Zo‰, Celia, Ben, and Kate Siegel. Kate is the grassroots founder of a popular organization called NOMORE, formed to keep people who've committed crimes against children in prison--and, as such, a valuable asset to any campaign. Zo‰ is determined to help Ben as best she can and, of course, would love to see Edwards lose. She's not quite prepared, however, for the rekindling of old flames. Fortunately for some, miserably for others, the past comes back to haunt just about everyone in this character- and subplot- packed book. A little pruning would serve Mortman well in the future. (First printing of 150,000; $300,000 ad/promo; author tour) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

When rising politician Benjamin Knight gets married on a perfect summer day, the four women watching don't realize how prophetic the best man's toast for success is. And over the next 20 years, the women all forge their own ambitious careers: Zoebecomes a foreign affairs analyst, a career choice made in order to get as far from Ben as possible; Celia, Ben's sister-in-law, uses her beauty and talent to build a career in national television; Georgie, Ben's childhood friend, becomes a congresswoman; and Kate, Ben's college classmate, founds a national child protection organization following the murder of her daughter. When a dangerous hostage situation arises overseas in an election year, the current president announces he will not run again. A heated political race erupts, and Ben throws his hat in the ring. His decision draws the women back into his life as he makes a run for the presidency, with Zoeas an adviser, Celia as an ambitious reporter covering his opponent, Kate as a lobbyist for her group, and Georgie as a member of the opposition. The strength of friendship and old loves wavers as the mudslinging intensifies, and only the lucky ones will survive. A tight plot, political intrigue, and devastating secrets create a novel that Kensington is supporting with a $300,000 marketing campaign and a 150,000-copy first printing. Highly recommended. Melanie Duncan