The Room Where it Happened by John Bolton

 The Room Where It Happened
John Bolton
Simon & Schuster, 592 pp.

Review by David Williams

In the second act of the hit musical Hamilton Aaron Burr sings us the story of the famous Madison/Hamilton compromise that led to the passage of Hamilton’s economic plan and to the US Capital being located on the banks of the Potomac. We
know of the story primarily from the recollections of Thomas Jefferson, who naturally puts himself at the center. The compromise happened at a dinner for the three men hosted by Jefferson. Was this really what happened? We will never really know because, as Burr sings “No one else was in the Room where it happened.”  In contemplating the results Burr goes on to point out that

No one really knows how the game is played
The art of the trade
How the sausage gets made
We just assume that it happens
But no one else is in
The room where it happens 

In his new book former National security advisor John Bolton draws back the curtain and show us The Room Where it Happened. It is a fascinating and rather depressing look at the inner workings of the Trump White House. When the book was first announced there was a giant clamor among people who had not read the book. Everyone thought it was going to be a tell all. Both Trump critics and Trump fans expected the book to be a salacious tell all full of dirty details. The Trump critics couldn’t wait for the expose. Finally, they would have the dirt that should have been available at the impeachment. Trump supporters prepared by declaring everything in the book that they had not read to be “fake news” and nothing but lies. The truth was actually far more mundane.

During the trial of Adolph Eichmann the philosopher Hannah Arendt coined the term “The banality of evil” to describe men like Eichmann who take part in a great evil, but make the evil sound almost tedious and boring. Bolton’s book could almost be subtitled the Banality of Incompetence. If you are looking for Donald Trump, Evil Genius then you will be very disappointed in this book. The Trump that you see here isn’t so much diabolical as simply incompetent and completely over his head. This should not be a big surprise to anyone who has observed Trump’s career over the years. The sheer boringness is in many ways the worst part of the book. Yes, there are some salacious stories here. Most of the book is not salacious, it’s just the tediousness of a White House that has no actual direction other than the whim of Donald Trump.

If you want a typical story from this book a good example would be the talks between Trump and Kim Jong Un. During their first meeting Trump mentioned his calling Kim “Rocket Man” and learned that Kim did not know the Elton John song. When Trump sent Mike Pompeo to engage in the next round of talks he autographed an Elton John Greatest Hits CD as a gift for Kim. During the phone debrief after Pompeo left the talks “Trump didn’t seem to realize Pompeo hadn’t actually seen Kim Jong Un, asking if Pompeo had handed over the Trump-autographed copy of Elton John’s “Rocket Man” CD, which Pompeo had not. Getting this CD to Kim remained a high priority for several months.”  This is a typical story.

Another good example is a little more dangerous. During a conflict with Turkey there was an impasse. The solution came from Mike Pence:  “the Vice President suggested Jared Kushner call Turkey’s Finance Minister, since they were both sons-in-law of their respective countries’ leaders. Really, what could go wrong? I briefed Pompeo and Mnuchin on this new “son-in-law channel,” and they both exploded, Mnuchin because the Turkish son-in-law was Finance Minister, his counterpart, and Pompeo because this was one more example of Kushner’s doing international negotiations he shouldn’t have been doing (along with the never-quite-ready Middle East peace plan). I always enjoyed bringing good news.” Pence suggesting that foreign policy be handled by members of “the family” is so typical of this administration that we almost forget that the US government is not some third world dictatorship or a mob family and this is not how things are supposed to work.

The Room Where It Happened is a memoir, it is not a book that has been researched by a third party. This means that it is very much written from Bolton’s perspective and with his own prejudices. His likes and dislikes come through. He was obviously not close to UN Ambassador Nikki Haley or to Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis. On the other hand, you see him working closely with John Kelly and Mike Pompeo. These personal feelings are quite apparent and they should be taken into account when reading the book. Bolton’s writing is not florid. It is very straight forward. In many ways you almost get the feeling that immediately after every meeting Bolton went straight to a quiet place and wrote down his notes. The book was little more than filling in a few blanks in the notes and framing the narratives. Trump people deny the unflattering portrait of the President in the pages, but the stories ring true. In the end we may never know what happened in these rooms. But the straight ahead look at Trump’s dysfunctional foreign policy shows us that a lot of damage control will be necessary in the years ahead.

I can’t mention a Hamilton song and then not give you a chance to listen.

Odysseus Awakening by Evan Currie

Odysseus Awakening is the sixth novel in Evan Currie’s ongoing Odyssey One series. The story picks up a few months after the events in the prior novel. The Empire is now probing into the Priminae territory. Eric Weston is now the Commodore of a task force that has been assigned to monitor the actions of the Empire. 

In the meantime the Odysseus is experience some strange anomalies. There is a prankster on board causing trouble. Commodore Weston has to figure out how to deal with all of these issues while preparing to go up against the newest enemy. A chance encounter between a Priminae ship and the Imperial Fleet cascades into a space battle pits the Priminae and Terran forces against the Empire. 

That is about all there is to say about this particular book. The book is a nearly 300 page space battle. It is thrilling and fun. You keep turning the pages to see what happens next. Except for one fascinating point there really isn’t anything resembling plot or character development. Just non-stop space battle action. The book feels more like a transition between the previous book and the next one in the series. This is not uncommon for this series. It seems like the books alternate between setting up the story and an all-out battle. I have little doubt that the next book in the series will move the story along. The series is quite enjoyable and recommended.




           

John Marshall by Richard Brookhiser

John Marshall is one of the most consequential figures in the history of the United States, yet too little is known about him. In John Marshall : The Man Who Made The Supreme Court, journalist and author Richard Brookhiser seeks to help us know more about this man. In life Marshall was an unimposing character. Early in the book Brookhiser relates a story about Marshall at home in Richmond. He was dressed like any other rustic. A newcomer to town asked him to carry a turkey home from the market, not realizing until afterwards that he had used the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court as a delivery man. Marshall was a man of humor.  Brookhiser shares another anecdote in the book. The Justices would board in the same house when the Court was in session and they ate together. They established a custom that they could only have wine if it was raining. “Marshall would ask ‘Brother Story’ [Justice Joseph Story] to look out the window and say what the weather was. If Story reported that the sun was shining, Marshall would answer, ‘our jurisdiction extends over so large a territory…that it must be raining somewhere.’” 

These anecdotes help to remind us that Marshall was an approachable and affable man. That did not make him weak. In his Introduction Brookhiser points out that “When Marshall died in 1835, he and the Court he led had rebuked two presidents, Congress, and a dozen states and laid down principles of law and politics that still apply.” That, of course, is why we know Marshall. He was the man who turned the Supreme Court into a powerful part of the United States government. Before Marshall the Supreme Court had little influence on the nation. After Marshall the influence was powerful.

The book is well written and easily approachable by the general reader. Brookhiser is a journalist by training and profession so he does not get into the weeds of trying to explain all of the minutiae behind the laws. Instead he focuses on the political implications of Marshall’s rulings. This is important because when Marshall established the idea of judicial oversight he inserted the Court into the politics of the new nation. Marshall was well aware that he was helping to guide the nation forward. He was a Revolutionary War veteran who had served on Washington’s staff.  As a young member of the Virginia Ratifying Convention he fought hard alongside James Madison for the ratification of the Constitution.  He was a successful attorney in private practice before moving into the government. He served under John Adams as Secretary of State before he became the third Chief Justice. Brookhiser takes us through his early years without succumbing that siren call of the historian: the rabbit trail. So many writers feel a need to set up a history by giving huge back stories or going off into minute detail about some side issue. Brookhiser deftly gives us what we need to understand the subject and keeps moving.

This is an excellent book and does justice to the subject. It also delivers the reader a well written, informative, and enjoyable experience.

The Blood of Alexander by Tom Wilde

How to describe Blood of Alexander by Tom Wilde? It is a modern day, high tech, caper, thriller, adventure, spy, crime novel. It is not really any of those things. It is a mashup of them all. The novel opens with our hero, Jonathan Blake, visiting the site of the Buddhas of Bamiyan. These 6^thcentury statues were destroyed by the Taliban in early 2001. Our hero is here to purchase a stolen artifact from a local warlord and opium dealer. The scene is reminiscent of a classic James Bond opening. Complete with a double dealing arms dealer and a dramatic escape.

It turns out that our hero works for the Argo Foundation,  a private organization that is dedicated to the preservation of historical artifacts. It does so through means both legal and extralegal. Blake is the prime operative on the less than legal side. His job is to find stolen artifacts and steal them from the thieves. This is not an altogether altruistic organization. They turn around and either gain the insurance money, or sell the item to private donors who will preserve the artifacts.

Unfortunately for our hero the US government learns of his abilities and forces him to help them track down a mysterious character named Vanya. Vanya is a villain right out of the James Bond playbook. He has seemingly unlimited financial resources, minions, his own private island, yacht, and helipad. He has a deadly female right hand. All he wants is to take over the world using secrets that he will find in the tomb of Alexander the Great.

The story unfolds very much like a James Bond film. Yes, this is the third time that I’ve mentioned Bond because the pacing, hero, and villains are all reminiscent of a James Bond film. The hero is constantly getting into impossible situations and escaping through improbable means. After a while you find yourself wait for the next moment of betrayal or amazing escape. There is also a little of Clive Cussler here because you have the expert in artifacts along with the slightly strained re-writing of history.

Over all the book is very enjoyable. The pacing is fast and the characters are fun if not overly developed. If you love James Bond movies from the early Roger Moore era then I think that you will find a lot to enjoy in this novel. I certainly hope that Wilde will write more of these books in the future.

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Mortal Republic by Edward Watts

Popular histories of the fall of the Roman Republic are not in short supply. There are excellent entries in this crowded field. One can look to Tom Holland’s Rubicon or the recent New York Times bestseller The Storm Before the Storm by popular podcaster Mike Duncan. Into this crowded field we have Mortal Republicby Edward J. Watts.  Dr. Watts is Professor of History at the University of California, San Diego. His previous works have focused on the period of late antiquity and the clashes between pagan and Christian culture. In his newest work Dr. Watts examines the forces that brought about the end of the Roman Republic. 

This book does not start, as is common, with the rise of the Gracchi brothers. Those radical reformers whose lives and deaths plunged the Republic into short periods of chaos. Instead he begins in 280 BC, with the wars between Rome and the Greek King Pyrrhus. Why this period? He wants to show the nature of the Roman leaders in this period. Roman leadership was a duty that was held by men who held honor above wealth.

This is an important point that will be seen throughout this book. In the early days of the Republic the nobles of Rome “agreed that virtue lay in service to Rome and that dishonor fell upon those who put their private interests above those of the Republic.” This noble ideal would become stressed as the Roman Republic grow in size, power and wealth. The change can be seen as the Romans fight the Carthaginians for control of Sicily. The Punic Wars spread Roman power abroad and soon the Republic had foreign territories to manage. With those territories came officials needed to run them. Those officials tended to become wealthy in those jobs. That wealth became the new motive for public service. Now honor gave way to avarice. As the quest for wealth and glory became the prime motivator factions began to arrive. Those factions would eventually wear away at the fabric of the Republic until it frayed and crumbled.

This did not happen in one lifetime. It took almost two centuries for the ethics and values of the Romans to devolve to the place where strong men like Sulla, Marius, Pompey, and Caesar could tear it apart. The great weakness in the Roman system was the reliance on personal honor to maintain itself. Tradition and honor were no defense against personal ambition and tremendous wealth.

The book is written for the general reader. One does not need a specialized background in Roman history to understand. The topic is indeed timely. In the Preface to the book Dr. Watts hopes “that this book allows its readers to better appreciate the serious problems that result both from politicians who breach a republic’s political norms and from citizens who choose not to punish them for doing so.” That is as far as he goes in trying to connect the past and the present. It is up to the readers to notice the signs and to take warning. 

The book ends as did the Republic: with the reign of Augustus. For over half a century the Republic had been torn by one faction after another competing for power. What are we supposed to gather from this book? Why read another book on the fall of a government that fell 2,000 years ago? Because the freedoms and laws of a republic must continually be upheld and protected.  Ronald Reagan famously said “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.” Perhaps the closing statement of the book sums it up best. “When citizens take the health and durability of their republic for granted, that republic is at risk. This was as true in 133 BC or 82 BC or 44 BC as it is in AD 2018. In ancient Rome and in the modern world, a republic is a thing to be cherished, protected, and respected. If it falls, an uncertain, dangerous, and destructive future lies on the other side.”

John Marshall by Harlow Giles Unger

John Marshall: The Chief Justice Who Saved The Nation

Harlow Giles Unger

Da Capo Press, 2014

John Marshall is one of the most important figures in American History, yet so few people know anything about him. Born in a log cabin in what was then the western frontier of the colony of Virginia he would rise until he became the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Marshall was far more than a mere Chief Justice. During his tenure on the court from 1801 – 1835 he would reinvent the Court and make it the powerful institution that it is today. In Marbury v. Madison, Marshall would assert the power of the Court to determine the constitutionality of a law passed by Congress. This particular duty of the Supreme Court is so taken for granted today that we forget how controversial it was at the time. President Thomas Jefferson, who did not want an independent judiciary, did his best to undermine and destroy the power of the Court. The Speaker of the House was a staunch Jefferson supporter and led the charge to impeach Samuel Chase, one of the Justices. The hope was to impeach and remove the judges who disagreed with Jefferson one by one until the Court was packed with Jefferson supporters who would then undermine the power of the Court. The trial of Justice Chase came back with a “not guilty” verdict and Jefferson was handed a strong defeat. After this Marshall and the Court would go on to carve out and define the power of the Court and establish precedents that exist to this day.

Florence King once referred to Harlow Giles Unger as “America’s most readable historian.” John Marshall proves once again that Mr. Unger has not lost any of those skills. This volume is not a reference heavy tome meant for the professional historian. It is an excellent introduction to both John Marshall and his world. You do not need any outside knowledge to understand this book and what is going on throughout this time period. Unger does not delve deeply into the side characters so if you want to know more about men like James Monroe, James Madison, and others then you will need to read about them. Fortunately, there are many excellent books on those sources. Unger is dedicated to his own subject and he does not fall prey to that Siren song that so often entraps the historian: the rabbit trail. This book is recommended for anyone who would like to know more about the history of the United States and the foundation period when so much that we take for granted today came about. Marshall is a fascinating subject and Unger brings him to life. We see the man willing to disappoint President Washington and turn down important government posts because of family duties. We see a man willing to stand up to Thomas Jefferson and fight for the right to an independent judiciary. Captain, Congressman, Secretary of State, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court are all official titles that he held from the period of the Revolution until his death in 1835. Those who knew him knew him as a son, husband, father, friend, patriot, a tireless worker for the new Union. Harlow Giles Unger shows us all of these aspects and gives us John Marshall.

As The Crow Flies by Damien Boyd

Jake Fayter falls to his death during a routine rock climbing accident. At least that is what the report reads. His parents disagree. So they turn to their son’s old friend, Detective Inspector Nick Dixon.  Dixon was once Fayter’s climbing partner and has a hard time believing the report. He knows that there is no way that Jake made the mistake necessary to cause his death. So he begins to investigate. As he digs into his friend’s death he soon realizes that he is not going to like what he discovers.

As The Crow Flies is the first book featuring DI Nick Dixon. He is a quiet man who requested a transfer back to his home area instead of staying in London and working his way up the administrative ladder. Now he has a small place that needs furniture, a dog, and the peace and quiet of the countryside. Of course he also is on the trail of a team of burglars who keep breaking into the houses of the recently deceased. Now he has what appears to him to be the suspicious death of an old friend. Before it is over he will find himself dealing with a smuggling operation, drug dealers, and a killer who won’t go down easy.  Boyd’s is an excellent stylist. He brings his characters to life and allows them to develop as the story goes on. The book is full of great characters who you feel you want to know better.

As I read this book I couldn’t help but think that this story and these characters are perfect for a BBC mystery series. This is the kind of detective drama that so many of us have come to know and love over the years.  I read a lot of books. Usually over 150 per year. Some of the books are old friends, most are new. The majority of books that I have read I doubt that I will ever read again. Damian Boyd’s DI Nick Dixon novels fall into that rare category of books that I will definitely read and enjoy again and again over the years.  I look forward to more in this series. I suggest that you order this book right now. It is the perfect book to take with you on summer holiday. It is also the perfect book to curl up with in your favorite reading chair. In other words, it is just a great book. 

Trick Soldier by L. Ron Hubbard

An officer who meets an old nemesis, an enlisted man who hates to walk, and a temporary officer who is always losing things. These are some of the characters you will meet in this collection of three short stories from L. Ron Hubbard.

In "Trick Soldier" a spit and polish captain stationed in Haiti gets a new lieutenant only to discover that it is his old nemesis from his early years in the Corps. Now they are thrown together with a mutinous group of native soldiers on their hands. In "He Walked To War" we are introduced to Sergeant Egbert Zacharia Golingame, known as EZ Go to his comrades. All he wants is to get out of the infantry and into the air corps because he doesn’t like to walk. He gets his transfer and more than he bargained for. Finally in “Machine Gun 21,000” we meet Captain Blake who seems to have a knack for losing things. This time it is a machine gun. And the enemy has found it.

L. Ron Hubbard was one a very prolific author during the heyday of pulp fiction. Trick Soldier collects three of his action stories set in the jungles of Haiti and Central America. Hubbard’s writing was of his time, but he is not unsympathetic towards the natives that his characters face. The soldier’s are not gung-ho types. Instead they are realistic ideas of the type of men who served in the Marine Corps and went where they were sent and did their best in bad situations. This is a very good collection, though a little short.  It is well worth the time to pick up some old, classic short stories from the golden age of pulps and lose yourself in the fun.

The Last Town by Blake Crouch

Sometimes you don’t want to know the truth. The townspeople of Wayward Pines had wanted to know the truth. They wanted to know why they were trapped in this town. Then they discovered the truth, that they had been kidnapped and were 1,800 years in the future. They have also learned that the world is now inhabited by a bestial species that had once been man. All of that was bad enough, but when, in their anger they refused to obey the man who had put them there he does the unthinkable. He shuts down the electric fence, opens the gates, and lets the monsters in.

That is how Wayward the second book in the series ends. Now in The Last Town we go through the next two days of hell that the people in Wayward Pines suffer. Alone, mostly unarmed they have to try and stay alive. They have to avoid the terror that is killing and consuming them. Sheriff Ethan Burke didn’t know that David Pilcher would go this far. But he underestimated the megalomania that gripped the billionaire inventor. Now Burke has to try and keep himself and as many of the residents alive as possible. Most importantly he has to get to the hidden command center to challenge Pilcher and confront him with his crimes.

The Last Town is a breakneck paced novel. The action is almost non-stop. The fear and the horror that the residents face is quite vivid. You feel for these people who have had everything taken away from them and are now at the mercy of a madman and a swarm of ravenous monsters.  How the people survive and how they choose to keep the human race going is quite interesting. There are some who will wish for a different ending, but I felt that the ending was perfect and really wrapped up the series. This was one of the more interesting series that I have read this year and I recommend it.