10 Best Political Drama Books Revealing the Underbelly of Modern Politics!
Politics. It’s a game where cunning minds plot strategies, and power ebbs and flows in a ceaseless tide. It's an intricate mosaic of manipulation, alliances, betrayals, and, let's be frank, loads of backstabbing. But isn't there an uncanny appeal to peeking between those red and blue curtains and peering at the raw truth hidden beneath? If that tickles your intrigue, let me welcome you to this handpicked collection of the ten best political drama books that wrench open the grimy underbelly of modern politics! Spanning both time and continents, each novel offers an insight into the shadowy corridors where unseemly deals are struck, and conscience often takes a backseat. Riding high on scandalous revelations, mindboggling twists, and unforgettable characters, these narratives also pack a powerful emotional punch that will have you hooked from the first page. You’ll be taken on a rollercoaster ride through political mazes, witnessing the triumphs and downfalls of powerful figures, experiencing the brutality of power struggles, and even suffering the heartbreak of shattered alliances. So, buckle up fellow political junkies, prepare for an eye-opening journey that will redefine the way you perceive modern politics!
『House of Cards』
The USA Today Bestseller from the Executive Producer of the hit Netflix series House of Cards. A dark tale of greed, corruption, and unquenchable ambition, House of Cards reveals that no matter the country, politics, intrigue and passion reign in the corridors of power. Francis Urquhart has his hand on every secret in politics—and is willing to betray them all to become prime minister. Mattie Storin is a tenacious young reporter who has a knack for finding the real stories hidden behind the spin. When she stumbles upon a scandalous web of intrigue and financial corruption at the very highest levels, she vows to reveal the truth. But to do so she must battle her own demons and risk everything, even her life. An explosive political thriller reinvented for a new generation. Fans of Vince Flynn, David Baldacci and Robert Ludlum will revel in getting to know Francis Urquhart, the man we love to hate. As a former advisor to Margaret Thatcher, Conservative Party Chief of Staff, and now peer of the realm and Conservative member of the House of Lords, Baron Dobbs provides an insider look at the twists and turns of British politics. Other books in the House of Cards series: House of Cards, Book 1 – The dark, twisting schemes of a politician determined to succeed To Play The King, Book 2 – Newly elected Prime Minister plots to take on the Monarchy to grab even more power The Final Cut, Book 3 – The perfect finale to this twisted trilogy, Urquhart refuses to close his career quietly What readers are saying about House of Cards: "the best of modern political fiction. The reader can't help but be riveted by the lead character, even hoping for his sinister plots to succeed." "fast-paced and interesting. I couldn't put the book down" "wonderful and extremely...one of the most memorable and unashamedly wicked characters in political fiction." What reviewers are saying about House of Cards: "This blood and thunder tale, lifelike and thoroughly cynical, certainly carries the ring of authenticity....a great triumph." — The Independent 'The exciting thriller that has Westminster buzzing. Here is a political thriller writer with a marvellous inside track knowledge of government.' - Daily Express 'It has pace, a beguiling authenticity and a cast of Achilles heels.' - Daily Telegraph What everyone is saying about the House of Cards books: "This blood and thunder tale, lifelike and thoroughly cynical, certainly carries the ring of authenticity....a great triumph." — The Independent "...a political thriller writer with a marvellous inside track knowledge of government." - Daily Express "If you are a fan of the modern TV series than you should definitely pick up these books." "Michael Dobbs has an uncanny knack of forecasting the future. A fascinating read and a conclusion that would send a chill through Buckingham Palace." - Sunday Express
Author | Michael Dobbs |
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Price | $9.99 |
Publisher | Sourcebooks, Inc. |
Release Date | Mar 11, 2014 |
Source | Google Books |
『All The King's Men』
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, this classic book is generally regarded as the finest novel ever written on American politics. It describes the career of Willie Stark, a back-country lawyer whose idealism is overcome by his lust for power.
Author | Robert Penn Warren/Noel Polk |
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Price | $15.99 |
Publisher | HarperCollins |
Release Date | Sep 01, 1996 |
Source | Google Books |
『The Running Mate』
Hailed as "astonishingly powerful" by The New York Times, and "written perfectly" by The Washington Post, Joe Klein's #1 bestseller, Primary Colors, was the most-talked-about political novel of the past century. Now acclaimed journalist and author Joe Klein returns with another brilliant and slyly subversive novel set in the gladiatorial arena he knows so well: politics in modern-day America. U.S. senator Charlie Martin is a hot political property, dashing, honorable, irreverent -- and a decorated Vietnam veteran. The Running Mate follows this brash hero on a wild, exhilarating ride through the minefields of politics as usual. But as Charlie quickly learns, combat is a cakewalk compared with the battles waged by free men in pursuit of glory and power. For Charlie's political star is beginning to wane ... a bid for the presidency ends in failure ... a young campaign volunteer's father decks him -- in front of the cameras ... a well-kept secret from Charlie's Vietnam days is revealed ... and a woman has entered his life -- one who loves him but is appalled by his life's work. Suddenly Charlie must confront the two greatest challenges of his life -- a political opponent who has no scruples and a dazzling, unconventional woman who may force him to choose between love and politics. Charlie's dilemma is one that has come to haunt contemporary American politics: Is it possible to be a good politician and a good man?
Author | Joe Klein |
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Price | $7.99 |
Publisher | Dell |
Release Date | May 06, 2000 |
Source | Google Books |
『State of Terror』
After a tumultuous period in American politics, a new administration has just been sworn in, and to everyone's surprise the president chooses a political enemy for the vital position of Secretary of State. There is no love lost between the President of the United States and Ellen Adams, his new Secretary of State. But it's a canny move on the part of the president. With this appointment, he silences one of his harshest critics, since taking the job means Adams must step down as head of her multinational media conglomerate. As the new president addresses Congress for the first time, with Secretary Adams in attendance, Anahita Dahir, a young foreign service officer (FSO) on the Pakistan desk at the State Department, receives a baffling text from an anonymous source. Too late, she realizes the message was a hastily coded warning. What begins as a series of apparent terrorist attacks is revealed to be the beginning of an international chess game involving the volatile and byzantine politics of Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iran; the race to develop nuclear weapons in the region; the Russian mob; a burgeoning rogue terrorist organization; and an American government set back on its heels in the international arena. As the horrifying scale of the threat becomes clear, Secretary Adams and her team realize it has been carefully planned to take advantage of four years of an American government out of touch with international affairs, out of practice with diplomacy, and out of power in the places where it counts the most. To defeat such an intricate, carefully constructed conspiracy, it will take the skills of a unique team: a passionate young FSO; a dedicated journalist; and a smart, determined, but as yet untested new Secretary of State.
Author | Louise Penny/Hillary Rodham Clinton |
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Price | unknown |
Publisher | Simon and Schuster |
Release Date | Jun 28, 2022 |
Source | Google Books |
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Price | unknown |
Publisher | |
Release Date | |
Source | Google Books |
『The People's Choice』
What happens if the President-elect of the United States dies before the Electoral College has a chance to officially vote him in? What happens if the Vice President-elect is a man who nobody dreams could be President? What happens if the highest office in the land is suddenly up for grabs—and the most ruthless pols, the smoothest power brokers, the minions of the media, and just plain ordinary citizens get into the wildest act in the three-ring circus of American politics? You don’t have to wonder. A four-time Emmy winner and veteran of CNN and ABC News, Jeff Greenfield has written a novel that does for politics what Catch-22 did for war. Read it and weep—with sidesplitting laughter. “A juicy, laugh-out-loud novel written with biting wit and piercing satire . . . hilariously plausible.”—Washington Post Book World “This year’s meanest, funniest, liveliest political novel!”—Philadelphia Inquirer
Author | Jeff Greenfield |
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Price | unknown |
Publisher | Plume |
Release Date | Sep 01, 1996 |
Source | Google Books |
『Cleo Mcdougal Regrets Nothing』
Politics is a test of wills in a sharp, funny, and emotional novel about truth and consequences by the New York Times bestselling author. Cleo McDougal is a born politician. From congresswoman to senator, the magnetic, ambitious single mother now has her eye on the White House--always looking forward, never back. Until an estranged childhood friend shreds her in an op-ed hit piece gone viral. With seven words--"Cleo McDougal is not a good person"--the presidential hopeful has gone from in control to damage control, and not just in Washington but in life. Enter Cleo's "regrets list" of 233 and counting. Her chief of staff has a brilliant idea: pick the top ten, make amends during a media blitz, and repair her reputation. But there are regrets, and there are regrets like her broken relationship with her sister, her affair with a law school professor...and the regret too big to even say out loud. But with risk comes reward, and as Cleo makes both peace and amends with her past, she becomes more empowered than ever to tackle her career, confront the hypocrites out to destroy her, and open her heart to what matters most--one regret at a time.
Author | Allison Winn Scotch |
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Price | unknown |
Publisher | Lake Union Publishing |
Release Date | Aug 01, 2020 |
Source | Google Books |
『Enter the Aardvark』
In this “blisteringly innovative and outrageous” (The Observer) novel that the Los Angeles Times describes as "somewhere between Nabokov's Pnin and Veep,” a young politician discovers a mysterious stuffed aardvark on his doorstep and sets out on a journey to find out what it means. Early one August morning, millennial congressman Alexander Paine Wilson (R) receives a strange package in the mail. Inside is an enormous taxidermied aardvark. What does it mean? Well, everything. Hurtling from the beginning of the universe to present-day Washington, DC, this astonishing, edge-of-your-seat novel is at once a piercing look into the sick heart of our democracy and a profoundly moving meditation on the nature of love, power, and evil. In the end you will not only know the meaning of the aardvark, you will see our current reality through new eyes. *One of Time Magazine's Must-Read Books of 2020*
Author | Jessica Anthony |
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Price | $10.99 |
Publisher | Little, Brown |
Release Date | Mar 24, 2020 |
Source | Google Books |
『The First Lady』
"Sir, the First Lady ... has gone rogue." President Tucker is caught up in a media firestorm. The scandal of his affair has sent shockwaves through his re-election campaign, and threatens to derail everything he has worked for. To win the vote, he needs the First Lady to stand by his side. But Grace Tucker has a mind of her own. After years of compromise, unfulfilled promises, deception and betrayal, Grace refuses to give in to her husband's deamnds. Escaping the city and her Secret Service agents, she is officially off the radar. But did the First Lady run away? Or is she in far greater danger than anyone could have imagined?
Author | James Patterson |
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Price | unknown |
Publisher | Arrow |
Release Date | Nov 28, 2019 |
Source | Google Books |
『Blowback』
From the New York Times bestselling author of The President Is Missing, America has elected its most brilliant president ever, but he’s also a psychopath—and about to start a world war with our most dangerous enemy. US President Keegan Barrett has swept into office on his success as Director of the CIA. Six months into his first term, he devises a clandestine power grab with deadly consequences. Barrett personally orders CIA agents Liam Grey and Noa Himel to execute his plan, but their loyalties are divided. The CIA serves at the pleasure of the president, yet they’ve sworn to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. When the threat comes directly from the Oval Office, that’s where the blowback begins. “Pure Patterson… Blowback asks us to imagine what would happen if a narcissistic psychopath were elected to the White House [and] to experience the terror of the world hanging in the balance at a moment when only a handful of determined patriots can save us.” –Ron Charles, Washington Post
Author | James Patterson/Brendan DuBois |
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Price | $9.99 |
Publisher | Little, Brown |
Release Date | Sep 12, 2022 |
Source | Google Books |
So there you have it! This compilation of political drama books is your backstage pass to the world of modern politics, where everything is not always as it seems. Each title provides its own unique perspective on the grimier side of the political arena, be it through scandalous affairs, murky conspiracies, or ruthless power struggles. These novels are not just riveting page-turners, but also thought-provoking insights into the complexities of power, morality, and humanity. So if you're ready for a deep dive into this intense realm of cloak-and-dagger, these dramas will prove to be an invaluable guide.
Take this list as a challenge to question what you think you know about politics, and explore different facets of a world often shrouded in secrecy, where survival is an art, and trust is a luxury. And remember, these are not just stories - they're a mirror reflecting what goes on behind closed doors. Politicians are as human as we are, subject to the same desires, angst, and ambition; their stage just happens to be a bit more grandiose. So grab a cup of coffee, find a cosy spot, and get lost in these captivating narratives. You'll be surprised at what you might discover about the world — and about yourself. Happy reading!
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