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Loading... The Librarian: A Novel (original 2004; edition 2004)by Larry Beinhart
Work InformationThe Librarian by Larry Beinhart (2004)
  
None No current Talk conversations about this book.  LibrarianDest | Jan 3, 2024 |  Alyssia | Dec 31, 2018 |  Review: Written somewhat in the style of Carl Hiaasen, it has neither the subtly nor humor that is a hallmark of Hiaasen. Based on current political hijinks, the book doesn't even get interesting until chapter 27, then moves at a fairly good pace until the last chapter which is less than lame. (  ) DrLed | Jul 13, 2014 |  ) nandadevi | Dec 1, 2013 |  ) dupontmorand | Mar 17, 2012 | no reviews | add a review
How on earth did nebbish university librarian David Goldberg end up on Virginia's Ten Most Wanted Criminals list for bestiality? And how did he get ensnared in a vast right-wing conspiracy to steal the presidency? It all begins so innocently when Goldberg starts moonlighting for eccentric, conservative billionaire Alan Carston Stowe as an archivist. But Goldberg's appointment worries a cabal of ruthless right-wingers--ostensibly allies of Stowe, whose money lubricates their zany scary conspiracies--with very close ties to the White House. They fear that Goldberg will find something in Stowe's records that will compromise the dirty tricks involved in re-electing Augustus Winthrop Scott, the dim scion of a powerful Republican political family, for a second term. As the presidential election heads into its final stretch, the hunt is on to remove Goldberg from his position--by any means necessary. The acclaimed, Edgar-winning mystery writer Larry Beinhart returns with this timely novel. In the tradition of Carl Hiassen, Elmore Leonard, and Joe Klein, The Librarian is a frenetic, scary and hilarious thriller that goes deep into the dark heart of election year politics. No library descriptions found. 
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 Google Books — Loading...GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.54Literature English (North America) American fiction 20th Century 1945-1999LC ClassificationRatingAverage: (3.07)
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Wikipedia in English
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1. The hero is a librarian, so there's a lot of poetic musing over the beauty of libraries, democracy, freedom, etc.
2. The villains are Republicans who are hell bent on controlling the world by any means necessary. Some of them bear strong resemblances to real politicians, e.g. Dick Cheney and George W.
3. It was a page-turner AND well-written AND had some good laughs. That, friends, is a rare combination. There's even some good poetry here and there.
Now, a few warnings. There's some graphic sexual violence that disturbed me a little. And I did roll my eyes a few times at how unbelievably evil the Republicans were. But Beinhart found a great Adam Smith quote to rationalize it: "Virtue is more to be feared than vice, because its excesses are not subject to the regulation of conscience." That is, if the bad guys were just greedy, there would be limits to what they'd do, but because they feel their cause is righteous, they try to win by any means necessary, even MURDER and SUBVERTING DEMOCRACY.
Obviously, if conspiracy theories annoy you, you probably won't like this book. But if you're looking for a wry political thriller that was clearly written by a Democrat, this will fit the bill. (