The Candidate

THE CANDIDATE

IT begins with a single gunshot.
On a frozen winter’s night deep in rural Iowa a female assassin tries to kill no-hoper presidential candidate Senator Jack Hodges. The woman fails but her attempt at murder transforms the race for the White House. Suddenly the former war hero-turned-politician is big news. Guided by his outspoken and outrageous campaign manager, Dee Babineaux, Hodges’ promise of radical change electrifies American politics.
But the identity of Hodges’ would-be killer remains unknown. Her name, age, even her nationality, are a complete mystery. As the campaign takes off , it becomes vital to discover who she is. The task is assigned to young staffer Mike Sweeney, a true believer in Hodges’ cause. He must find out the woman’s deepest secrets before anyone from a rival campaign or the media does. Sweeney’s journey will take him from the depths of the American heartland to the corridors of power in Washington and, finally, into some of American history’s darkest and bloodiest corners. And, all the time, Hodges’ campaign is inching ever closer to making its candidate the next President of the United States.
The Candidate is a thrilling ride right into the heart of a modern American campaign. Along the way it poses some of the most fundamental questions of politics, but also of the human heart. How far will you go to win? Can anyone really leave their past behind?