Review of The Senator's Suitcase
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JillianA
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Review of The Senator's Suitcase
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Senator's Suitcase" by Mitch Engel.]
Mitch Engel’s The Senator’s Suitcase begins as Troy Davenport deals with the aftermath of the sudden death of his mother, the legendary Senator Beth Davenport. While settling her estate, Troy finds two surprise windfalls. The first is a massive inheritance from his grandfather Joseph “Senior” Davenport, who he believed had disinherited him. The second is a storage unit key that leads to a mysterious suitcase filled with five million dollars in cash. Troy then embarks on an investigation into his mother’s past, finding information and hearing accounts that both reinforce and challenge what he thought he knew about her. The story has three sections, with the first and third being from Troy’s perspective and the middle being from Beth’s. The middle section uses Beth flipping through the journal she has kept throughout her life as a framing device while she reflects on her life story. This answers all Troy’s questions and more for the reader. After Beth’s reflection, the story shifts back to Troy’s investigation and ultimately his move from finding answers to finding closure.
All the characters were interesting and complex, and the structure made for an effective contrast between the personal reflections of a well-loved public figure and the evolving view of her from a close outsider. Beth seems to be sincerely loved by everyone she works with, but Troy sees her as cold, distant and focused only on her political ambitions. This makes his doubts about her character and resulting search for answers especially layered and intriguing. Senior and Beth are both representations of an idealized America, at least according to their public images. He is a legitimately self-made billionaire job creator, and she is a politician who puts her constituents above party loyalty. But both are much more morally complex. Senior is focused on his legacy above all else, and Beth struggles with connection and relationships. Beth’s personality is comprised of a fascinating mix of amoral ambition and sincere desire to improve people’s lives. In addition to the excellent character development, Troy’s internal observations and commentary are usually quite amusing.
The only thing I disliked about this book was the pacing of the first section, which I felt dragged. There was a lot of driving back and forth, thinking and having short conversations that felt slow and not very engaging. It was easy to put the book down, and I wasn’t especially excited to keep reading at the beginning. Ultimately the questions Troy was investigating and the information and character motivations being revealed were interesting enough to maintain some curiosity, and the story picked up in the second section.
I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. The slow points made the story a bit hard to get into, but it was interesting and curiosity-provoking enough to keep me engaged, and the story moved to a more enjoyable pace in the second section. Overall, I recommend the book. It was a reflective character-driven story with interesting characters that sparked a lot of thought about meaningful relationships and building a legacy.
I would recommend this book to readers looking for a story that revolves around characters and relationships and unfolds at a relaxed pace. Politics are less central to the story than the title might suggest, so readers don’t necessarily need to be interested in government to enjoy the novel. The book also contains depictions of abuse that may be difficult for some readers.
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The Senator's Suitcase
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Mitch Engel’s The Senator’s Suitcase begins as Troy Davenport deals with the aftermath of the sudden death of his mother, the legendary Senator Beth Davenport. While settling her estate, Troy finds two surprise windfalls. The first is a massive inheritance from his grandfather Joseph “Senior” Davenport, who he believed had disinherited him. The second is a storage unit key that leads to a mysterious suitcase filled with five million dollars in cash. Troy then embarks on an investigation into his mother’s past, finding information and hearing accounts that both reinforce and challenge what he thought he knew about her. The story has three sections, with the first and third being from Troy’s perspective and the middle being from Beth’s. The middle section uses Beth flipping through the journal she has kept throughout her life as a framing device while she reflects on her life story. This answers all Troy’s questions and more for the reader. After Beth’s reflection, the story shifts back to Troy’s investigation and ultimately his move from finding answers to finding closure.
All the characters were interesting and complex, and the structure made for an effective contrast between the personal reflections of a well-loved public figure and the evolving view of her from a close outsider. Beth seems to be sincerely loved by everyone she works with, but Troy sees her as cold, distant and focused only on her political ambitions. This makes his doubts about her character and resulting search for answers especially layered and intriguing. Senior and Beth are both representations of an idealized America, at least according to their public images. He is a legitimately self-made billionaire job creator, and she is a politician who puts her constituents above party loyalty. But both are much more morally complex. Senior is focused on his legacy above all else, and Beth struggles with connection and relationships. Beth’s personality is comprised of a fascinating mix of amoral ambition and sincere desire to improve people’s lives. In addition to the excellent character development, Troy’s internal observations and commentary are usually quite amusing.
The only thing I disliked about this book was the pacing of the first section, which I felt dragged. There was a lot of driving back and forth, thinking and having short conversations that felt slow and not very engaging. It was easy to put the book down, and I wasn’t especially excited to keep reading at the beginning. Ultimately the questions Troy was investigating and the information and character motivations being revealed were interesting enough to maintain some curiosity, and the story picked up in the second section.
I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. The slow points made the story a bit hard to get into, but it was interesting and curiosity-provoking enough to keep me engaged, and the story moved to a more enjoyable pace in the second section. Overall, I recommend the book. It was a reflective character-driven story with interesting characters that sparked a lot of thought about meaningful relationships and building a legacy.
I would recommend this book to readers looking for a story that revolves around characters and relationships and unfolds at a relaxed pace. Politics are less central to the story than the title might suggest, so readers don’t necessarily need to be interested in government to enjoy the novel. The book also contains depictions of abuse that may be difficult for some readers.
******
The Senator's Suitcase
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Cooperative Lives by Patrick Finegan
