If Men Were Angels

A searching and powerfully written novel about a dark-horse presidential candidate who seems to be the answer to the hopes of the American voters. Is he, perhaps, too good to be true?

The tumultuous presidential bandwagon of Thomas Crane, a charismatic but elusive senator from the midwest, presents reporter Cliff O'Connell with a career-making opportunity that dissolves into a nightmare. In combing the past for the real Thomas Crane, O'Connell becomes the keeper of a chilling secret that he knows should remain buried forever. O'Connell's former lover, Robin Winters, now works for the Crane campaign, and that relationship reignites at the same time the campaign, against all odds, takes off. O'Connell also discovers an unexpected rapport with Crane himself, who shares his love of history and a humble, small-town background. Digging into the part of Thomas Crane's past that refuses to make sense, uncovering layers of truth with a growing sense of unease, O'Connell is caught in a brutal triangle, torn between personal and political passions and his commitment to the truth. His discovery and what he does about it have cataclysmic and unexpected results for himself, Robin, Crane, and a nation. If Men Were Angels is an urgent, resonant novel about love, hope, and loss. Rooted in the realities of a brawling campaign, but proceeding along the lines of an elegant and remorseless legal thriller, it is the novel about politics that Scott Turow might have written.

Reed Karaim is the author of If Men Were Angels, a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers selection. He lives in Tucson, Arizona, with his wife and daughter.