THE RACE by Richard North Patterson

Finished Th 10/13/11

Senator Corey Grace- Republican moderate running for Republican nomination
Senator Rob Morotta- Also running for Republican nomination. Will do anything to win.
Magnus Price- Ace consultant for Morotta. Along the lines of Karl Rove.
Senator Bob Christy- Also seeking Republican nomination. Extreme Christian Fundamentalist.
Lexie Hart- Black Hollywood star who is Grace's lover.
Clay Grace- Younger brother of Corey. Gay suicide.

Although THE RACE does have a fast-paced and engaging plot with fully developed characters, the book aims to do more than simply relate a tale of political intrigue set in contemporary America. Patterson has crafted this novel to be more of an astute and clever vehicle to introduce and explore most of the major 'Hot Button' issues of American politics.
-Race
-Homosexuality
-Stem Cell Research
-Gay Marriage
-Christian Fundamentalism
-Abortion
-Immigration
-Taxation
Each point of view is well presented, and characters from both sides of the issue make their points with clarity and candor. However, it's kind of odd that nothing is mentioned about Democrats-America seems to be entirely composed of various shades of 'Red State' politics. All of the characters are Republicans, and Corey Grace's views, I think, are far outside any moderate faction of the Republican party(even in fiction!).

Interesting and thought provoking, and a real departure from the usual Richard North Patterson book.