Shining City audiobook

No need to choose between entertaining and informative -- Shining City is both. A first-rate and gripping story of a Supreme Court nomination, the inner-workings of Washington, with a heart thumping series of murders . . . Should be a hit in this season.

A timely political thriller about a Supreme Court contender and the court case that haunts him -- as told from the point of view of the Washington fixers whose jobs are to see this challenging nominee confirmed. From start to satisfying finish, this is a page-turner that had me turning pages -- or whatever the listening equivalent is, since I _also_ bought the audio book to get through it faster. I won't give away details here. For those who pay attention to real-life political dramas from afar, this novel offers a portrait of the people who do the heavy lifting and messy work backstage. For those who watch or participate in those political dramas here in Washington, the backstory to this thriller will ring true and make you think a bit about how our city works. Or doesn't. And you will inevitably wonder about the real-world people who inspired which characters and which were entirely the creations of Tom Rosenstiel, the novelist/journalist who is now a proven pro at both professions. Looking forward to the sequel.

He’s a private detective of a sort but is never called that. Some refer to him as a fixer or a problem-solver. But Peter Rena and his partner, Randi Brooks, don’t think of themselves as problem-solvers. ‘They never fixed problems—they just ended them.” Their consulting firm, Brooks, Rena, and Toppin, advertises “Research and Security.” In reality, they’re crisis consultants. They go to work when things go bad. But they stand out from the K Street crowd in that the firm works with both Republicans and Democrats. In a time when partisanship reigns in Washington politics, they’re regarded as freaks.CONTROVERSY SURROUNDS A SUPREME COURT NOMINEERena himself is ex-military and a Republican. Brooks is an outspoken liberal Democrat. (Their ex-partner, Toppin, is retired.) But “most of their work isn’t political; corporations wanting background checks on potential CEOs or troubled executives, law firms with big cases, sports teams with stars in a fix or draft prospects surrounded by rumors.”However, as Shining City opens, Rena is involved in a political case. He’s cleaning up one mess on Capitol Hill—and the whole firm will soon be engaged in a much bigger one. Because the President of the United States personally has hired Peter Rena and the firm to vet a controversial candidate for a seat on the US Supreme Court. The job will involve Rena and Brooks in a protracted campaign to investigate and then manage federal judge Roland Madison’s months-long effort to gain confirmation by the Senate—all the while an assassin is on the loose and a mole is working on their team.A BALANCED VIEW OF WASHINGTON POLITICSTom Rosenstiel is an eminent journalist with an impressive working knowledge of Washington politics gained from more than thirty years in the field. In Shining City, he conveys—even-handedly—a detailed picture of the collision between the courts, the White House, the Senate, and the interest groups on both Left and Right that erupts whenever a seat opens up on the Supreme Court. The novel features insightful pictures of maverick Democratic President James Nash; liberal firebrand Deborah Cutter, head of Fair Chance for America; Right-Wing lobbyist Josh Albin of Citizens for Freedom; and crusading journalist Gary Gold. Some of those portrayed resemble real-world personalities. Albin, for example, is a stand-in for Grover Norquist, lobbyist and organizer for the far-right Taxpayer Protection Pledge. A few of the Senators seem to have their counterparts in the real-life Senate, too. All told, it’s a compelling picture of Washington politics laid bare.ABOUT THE AUTHORWikipedia describes Tom Rosenstiel as an American author, journalist, press critic, researcher, and academic. In addition to the four Peter Rena novels has published to date, he has written, coauthored, or edited seven nonfiction books on journalism. For nine years, he served as executive director of the American Press Institute. He is a graduate of Oberlin College and the Columbia School of Journalism. Most recently, he joined the faculty of the University of Maryland as a visiting professor on the future of journalism.

When I downloaded Shining City a few weeks ago it was because I had heard of it--but I couldn't remember exactly what I'd heard. Since then I've seen this novel mentioned a few other places. You know, social media asking what you're reading these days and such. Wow. This is insightful and up-to-the-minute, almost pulled from the headlines. (It was published in February 2017.) While I was unsatisfied with a couple of chapters that had to do with the "mechanics" of the crimes, the view into politics at the federal level, specifically the nomination, vetting, and confirmation of Supreme Court justices, was gripping. If this is #1 in a series of Peter Rena books, I'm on board for any others.

Tom Rosenstiel is a new author for me and I really enjoyed this first Peter Rena novel! I was pulled in from the beginning and just couldn’t put it down!

Very well written, but after all the suspense and various kinds of intrigue, the end is disappointingly blah.

Great book! I couldn't put it down -- loved the nuanced views of the press, the politicians, the hired hands, the changing perspectives, and the dual narratives that conjoin.

Shining City reveals the machinations behind the confirmation process of a Supreme Court justice. In short, this novel is terrifying real, deliberately provocative, and sadly indicative of our current political state.Peter Rena and his partner, Randi Brooks, have been hired by the White House to vet a possible Supreme Court nominee. The balancing act President Nash must accomplish among the varied political positions represents the all-too-bizarre situation facing any political leader. Positions are stated before facts are known, much in a response to what potential campaign donors might expect. The nominee, Judge Rollie Madison, is thoughtful with an extensive legal career. Yet, questions must be asked and answers are demanded. Rosenstiel inserts a murder mystery along with the political drama to prove that judges and their decisions are not solely in law books; real people with real problems are affected. This was a great read although I found the cynical nature of some of the characters rather sad.

This was the January selection for Barnes & Noble Serial Reads on their Nook app. Peter Rena and his partner, Randi Brooks, are “fixers” in Washington DC. They have been asked by the President to vet Roland Madison as a potential Supreme Court Justice. Madison is a professor of law at Stanford and has served as a judge. He has some controversial ideas about the role of judges and had a difficult personality. Meanwhile, back in California, someone is targeting people to murder. The murders appear random, but until a DC lawyer is murdered, the connection is not made. Do these people have a connection to Madison?And who is leaking inside information to those opposed to the nomination of Madison?More of a detective puzzle than an action novel. My biggest complaint was the final loose end was wrapped up almost as an afterthought, especially for a company that supposedly does due diligence on their staff.

I read an advance copy of this book. I hope that a copy editor is hired to review the text. There are many missing words and typos that are distracting.The story is interesting. As we are watching the current nominee to the Supreme Court go through her paces in the nomination process, it was interesting to read this fictionalized account of a different type of nominee. Roland Madison is an intellectual, an academic, with a dark secret in his past. Peter Rena and Randi Brooks with their company have been hired to shepherd him through the process. Something is nagging at Peter as they prepare the candidate. At the same time, someone is killing apparently random people on both coasts. Is there a connection? Read the book and see.