Nom de Code Condor

Condor #1

by John Simpson

L'Homme du Président, tome 1

Le candidat du Parti Démocrate pour la présidence des États-Unis, J. David Windsor, et les Américains sont choqués quand son adversaire, à six semaines des élections, divulgue son homosexualité. N’écoutant que son cœur, David choisit l’honnêteté sans penser aux retombées médiatiques, et surmonte l’obstacle pour remporter l’élection.

Malgré ce succès, les forces obscures du monde entier commencent à comploter contre lui, et la sécurité du Président Windsor doit être renforcée. À l’intérieur comme à l’extérieur de la Maison-Blanche, l’Agent des Services Secrets Shane Thompson devient l’ombre du Président, présent, silencieux, et toujours vigilant.

Alors que les deux hommes se rapprochent, Shane fait beaucoup plus que simplement son devoir ; il devient indispensable au bonheur de David, comme il l’est à la santé du Président. Ensemble, ils se rendent compte qu’ils doivent trouver un équilibre entre leur vie publique et leur vie privée avant que le stress et les responsabilités ne les déchirent.

Genres: M M Romance, Romance, Contemporary, Politics, Gay, Fiction, LGBT

201 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 1, 2008

About the author

John Simpson, a Vietnam-era Veteran, has been a uniformed Police Officer of the Year, a federal agent, a federal magistrate, and an armed bodyguard to royalty and a senior government executive. He earned awards from the Vice President of the United States and the Secretary of the Treasury. John has written articles for various gay and straight magazines. John lives with his partner of 35 years and three wonderful Scott Terriers, all spoiled and a breed of canine family member that is unique in dogdom. John is also involved with the Old Catholic Church and its liberal pastoral positions on the gay community.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Reviews

[Kelly (Maybedog) · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was so dumb it was painful. It was a really not disguised at all opportunity for the author to rail against the Bush administration and talk about what he would do as president. Now I agree with him politically and have the same harsh words for Bush et al, but this was just boring. A ton of time was spent with speeches--the actual full speech! And with logistics about his days. Dullsville.

It was also WAY too simplistic. I don't think the author really grasped how hard it is to accomplish radical things in office and how much work the president does. This character slept way too much and had a weekend off in his first month. Yeah, sure. Plus, he thought pulling out of Iraq would start within hours of being ordered.

The promised thriller aspects just didn't surface. Something would suddenly happen and the danger would be over before there was any suspense. It was ridiculous. The way the relationship went was silly, too, being at first just fun, with the protagonist coveting other guys and then in the next breath in love. (Doubt I'm spoiling anything there. That much was obvious from the description.)

1.5 stars rounded up to two because I did finish it and because it was better than Twilight.

[Plainbrownwrapper · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is just soooo, sooo bad. The writing is clunky. The dialog is stilted and artificial. The plot is a comedy of logic failures. The characters are thin thin cardboard. The villains are not only Evil Cardboard Villain Homophobes, but also Evil Republican Capitalists. The political polemics are front and center, from beginning to end. Arg.

The following dialog really cracked me up. The narrator is the President Elect, and he has just hugged his personal Secret Service bodyguard after finding out that the man is gay --

I resisted the strong urge to kiss him on the temple, and released him after patting his back. He looked at me and smiled, his light green eyes sparkling.

“Thank you for that. You’re the first man I’ve hugged in a while now who knows that I’m gay, and who is gay himself. I will respect our boundaries of course, but it felt nice to hold you however briefly.”

“You’re more than welcome, sir. And believe me when I say that it was my pleasure to hold you, something I would never have asked you to do. You’re a very good looking man, and now the most powerful man in the world.”"

Okay -- the Pres Elect is 38; the agent is in his late 20's. So roughly a 10 year diff. AND HE'S COMING ON TO HIS BODYGUARD, WHILE ON THE JOB -- no matter what he says about "respecting boundaries", hah. Abuse of power imbalance, much? And didja catch just how clunky that dialog is? Yikes.

I can't count all the ways in which this thing bad, but here's one small example of a laughable plot inconsistency --

Near the beginning, just after the inauguration, when there are no known threats to the new president, he attends several Inaugural Balls. His mother also goes to the balls as his date. It is specifically emphasized that he and his mother are travelling separately to the balls, entering and exiting separately, and so on, just in case anyone tries an assassination. BUT -- near the end of the book, when the pres KNOWS that someone is planning to assassinate both the pres AND the vic-pres, he specifically orders the VP to travel WITH HIM IN HIS LIMO. Just how stupid is this pres supposed to be???

And also aaaaaauuuuuuugggggghhhh, as we all know by now thanks to the last four years, the president can't just blithely order the military out of Iraq and expect to have his order accepted instantly and without argument. It just don't work that way, folks.

So, y'all get the picture. I was interested in this book for its setup -- a gay president! -- and because Simpson was a new author for me. At least now I know not to bother with his other books!

1.5 stars. I'm rounding up to 2 for the official GR rating, because I can at least imagine worse.

[Elisa Rolle]

Condor One is a fantapolitic novel. David Windsor, multimillionaire business man and far cousin of William V, the King of England, is now a democratic candidate to be the new USA President. His campaign goes very well since the american citizens are tired of years of Republican government, and he is the most probable winner. So his adversary lets drop the bomb during the last official speech: David is gay. Unexpected to everyone, David doesn't deny the news and au contraire, he embraces this new turn of his campaign, gaining even more consent from people who appreciate him for his honesty.

So David becomes the new President and his life takes an accelerate path; in all the whirlwind, his only stepping stone is Shane, his bodyguard. Shane is a late twenty very handsome man, with the look of an American movie star and the character of Gandhi. He is always quite and sure, always ready for "his" President. At first David is a bit of a playboy, he plays with Shane but he is not against the idea to "play" also with some other fine looking men who happen to be near him, even if he has never had the chance to conclude something, since the official duty and the lack of intimacy don't allow him any free time. But when the events turn mad and all around him seems to crash, again and again Shane will be his only safe shelter.

The story has a very strong suspense plot, with a lot of action. It's almost like reading a Tom Clancy gay novel. What I find really interesting is David's character, a man that should be upright and detached, and instead, when he can, he is always ogling the fine ass of his bodyguard. But despite the weakness of his body, his mind is very strong and ready and when he needs to take an important decision, he is up to the task. And even if he tries to be fair with everyone, he is also willing to use the iron hand with necessary, and sometime I understand that he is also gladly to do that, when the justice falls upon someone he doesn't like: even if David is a good man, he has a naughty and devil side that sometime surfaces.

Shane maybe is too perfect. He is handsome, clever, generous... I never read about some faults about him. Maybe to be the man of a so important figure, he needs to be so, but well, I would like for him to be a little more angry, above all when David lets his weak body to lead him astray.

The erotic part of the novel are pretty strong, graphic and detailed... these are two men who are making sex (before love) and it's very clear: not chocolate and flowers for them, they go directly to the core of the matter.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0981737285/?...

[Gaby Franz · Rating 4 out of 5]

La novela me gustó mucho, es refrescante poder leer un libro del género con tanta trama bien pensada. El trasfondo político me encantó, el autor sabe de lo que habla y se nota.
Si tuviera que ponerle una pega, diría que para mi gusto personal le faltó un poco de desarrollo a la parte romántica.
Muy dinámica de leer y cuando acabó me quedé con ganas de más. Una lectura muy recomendada.

[Tana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book and it has made me go read the whole series. Excellent.

[Mati · Rating 4 out of 5]

Men in suits, bodyguards and politics, that is the major hit of this book. I was wondering if author made his own Mary Sue, but well hard to tell. All was about politics and USA presidential election was the show, because one of the candidates, our humble hero, David J. Windsor (yes the name has connection to British royal family)was outed as gay and became after that the first gay president who was facing the typical assassination attempts, while dealing with crisis on the Middle East. However our president was lucky to have his secret service agent, who happened to be handsome, brave and mr. right for mr. president. Agent Shane Thompson had his goal to protect the head of the state and man he loved. Political thriller in gay themes, not bad if you consider the rest of the genre, but not good if you take books from Frederic Forsythe in account.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I believe this is about the 3rd or 4th time I've read this one. To be frank, the writing is choppy and the dialogue, especially in the sex scenes, can be ackward. The plot is ridiculous. The bad guys are cartoonish. And the author's contempt for all thing Bush and Republican, though I agree with that contempt, is a little heavy handed. There are plot holes galore, and a few continuity issues on top of that.

You are probably asking yourself, why in the world would I be rereading such a mess? It's a valid question, one that I would be thinking as well. There is a very simple reason for my continuous love for this book, and it's sequels. It a frick ton of fun. I enjoy my time with these characters so damn much, because what they are going through is so damn ludicrous. It helps that the main characters are dynamic and interesting. And it definetly helps that the writing improves tremendously as the series continues.

Either way, I make no excuses for loving this series. It's just that damn fun to read.

[Aղցela W. · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't know what to say about this book. I love a good political read where the MC's have to sneak around but this book was not one of them. David Windsor is president of the United States who gets outed in a debate. Secret Service Agent Shane Thompson becomes the President's shadow, always present. The two men get close but we don't know anything about them. This was my first time reading this author and I had issues with his writing style and the plot. This book also had some errors in it.

[Stacey Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one. It had a very "Tom Clancy" kind of feel to it with the spy/espionage. The author has an extensive background in military and secret service and it shows. I love the idea of a gay president and a woman vice-president. David Windsor (of the British Royal family) is president and has the perfect reason to keep Shane, his bodyguard, close to him at all times. They, of course, fall in love. I like the two of them together, but at times I found the dialog between them to be a little formal and stiff so although I knew they were in love I didn't get "the warm and fuzzies". I guess they just weren't much into being verbally expressive. The book is much heavier on action than sex, as there are only a few sex scenes, so for those who like more action and lighter sex, this would appeal to you. It's definitely the start of an interesting series and has a nice sorta cliff-hanger as far as their relationship. I'm looking forward to getting started on Talons of the Condor, the second in the series.

[Barbara · Rating 2 out of 5]

After reading a description of this book yesterday, I though that it would be an incredible read. Unfortunately, even though the author had an interesting idea for the plot, the book in itself was simply boring and the relationship between main characters was unbelievable. For most of the time, I rolled my eyes when I read some descriptions - they were too detailed. Besides, I feel like the whole book was rushed too much at the end. Why two stars and not one? Because I liked the idea behind the book.

[Hayley]

this was my first official print m/m romance book. After years of Mills&Boon and slash fanfiction. It did not dissapoint I could hardly put it down and whilst the ending seemed choppy is was left open for a sequel which after email the author I am advised is on the cards. I hope to read more M/M romance I'm hooked now

[Jess Candela · Rating 1 out of 5]

I found the writing style too clunky to hold my interest.

[Love Is All Around · Rating 3 out of 5]

RECENSIONE A CURA DI SLANIF
Il candidato alla Casa Bianca David J. Windsor, imparentato niente pò-pò di meno che con i Windsor più famosi del Globo, viene pubblicamente messo alla gogna dal suo avversario quando questi rivela al mondo che è gay.
La reazione di David, tuttavia, è così tranquilla che fa sì che il pubblico alla fine verta a suo favore.
Il problema è che adesso che si sa che è gay, potrebbero sorgere dei problemi dai gruppi più estremisti, pertanto gli viene affiancato l’agente dei Servizi Segreti Shane Thompson, che dovrà occuparsi di essere la sua ombra 24h su 24h, sette giorni su sette.
Tra i due scoppia subito la passione, ma le cose sono tutt’altro che semplici…
Continua sul nostro blog!

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this book. The story was pretty good. I felt that the part covering the six weeks before the election was a little rushed, being covered in only two chapters. The characters were OK, not ones I was really invested in for some reason. I believe my main complaint with the book is the writing style. In my view it seemed stilted and unnatural. Of course, since a lot of my reading has been from British authors, it's possible that's a reflection on how the two cultures use language. I'll have to think more on that.

Anyway, a good beginning to a series. I'll have to see how follow-ups appeal to me.

[Qin · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is not a book, but a dessicated sketch in which the most essential components of such a plot (like living and falling in love at the White House, working with the West Wing, Capitol Hill and the local echelons of power, putting into action an agenda) are glossed over in favor of mediocre romance lacking any chemistry between the heroes, lukewarm suspense stuffed full with mind-boggling non sequiturs, abysmally bad geopolitics that vilify the entire Muslim world, constant lecturing against the Far Right and strident preaching of liberal values. Since 1° all of this is accomplished with the elephantesque awkwardness of an ignoramus in virtually any quarter, from basic writing (Mr Simpson mistakes nursery syntax and kindergarten vocabulary for stylistic pithiness) to the arcana of government and constitutional laws; 2° the characters in his novel are without any exception void of life, their only consistency being that of caricatures (one example shall suffice here: President Windsor supposedly loves Shane, yet he lusts so much over the first blond, hunky young Marine he meets at Camp David that he has the afore-mentioned clone of Shane follow him to the White House, only to be saved at the eleventh hour by his bodyguard slash lover from the murderous hands of said Marine, from whom he was silly enough to accept a, nearly naked, massage in secluded quarters without any supervision); 3° the plot and pacing are utterly preposterous, filled with imbecile conspiracies by the Republicans minority and the Saudis, the worst clichés about Islamic terror mongers in the Middle East, the most extravagant policies ever enforced by President Windsor at the drop of a hat (he must have been elected with a magical wand !); and since, finally, 4° there is so much cheese everywhere between these covers that one could practically put Condor One in an oven and turn it into a soufflé, it is impossible for me to fathom how this atrocity fostered six (!) sequels, all of which seem to be written and plotted in the exact same horrendous manner. I am all for losing several hours of my time and a few bucks over a bad book if at the very least it entertained me somewhat, like keeping me in a state of laughter; with enough patience, and negative reviews on GR or the social media, one can even educate untalented aspiring writers. Mr Simpson is not one of these; an unpricipled propagandist masquerading as a writer, his cacography and horrible ideas ought never to have been published, for Condor One evokes only nausea while providing homophobes and right-wingers with stones to throw at the LGBTQ crowds because of his flippancy and obvious tendency to write gay characters as buffoons. Now that gay causes have won big in the US, I hope there will be no more place in the future for this opportunistic predator of the MM genre.

[Valérie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Je n'avais déjà pas apprécié le précédent livre de John Simpson que j'avais trouvé niais et fade, et celui-ci en dehors de m'avoir appris en long et en large les méandres de la vie politique américaine ne m'a pas emballée non plus. J'ai plutôt le sentiment d'avoir lu une fiction politique qu'une romance, car en dehors du fait que nous avons un couple, et encore c'est un bien grand mot, je suis toujours en train de me remémorer où j'ai pu sentir l'ombre d'un sentiment, d'une émotion, voir la construction d'une histoire d'amour. Nous sommes dans le doux rêve d’un auteur qui a surement voulu mettre dans ses personnages, son désir de voir l’homme gay sur un même pied d’égalité qu’un hétérosexuel, ce que je peux comprendre.

Mais trop c’est trop, et là cela frise le ridicule et quand en plus les dialogues entre les deux héros sont plats et mièvres, il ne vous reste plus grand-chose, à part un super documentaire sur la vie politique américaine. Bon, je suis honnête tout n’est pas mauvais, le personnage de David (enfin quand il ne lorgne pas les fesses de son garde du corps) est loin d’être inintéressant et John Simpson dépeint un président qui pourrait être crédible. C’est un homme au fort caractère, une poigne de fer dans un gant de velours et très intelligent, quand il doit prendre une décision importante, il est à la hauteur, il a un petit coquin qui évite qu’il soit trop lisse. Ce qui n’est pas le cas de Shane, son garde du corps, puis amant et enfin partenaire, celui-ci c’est Monsieur Perfection, jamais un mot de travers ni un même un soubresaut de colère, le faire valoir, très discret de David, limite « serpillère », d’un autre côté c’est le rôle que lui a dévolu l’auteur.

Par contre, si je fais abstraction de la romance, le récit est assez prenant, pas mal de suspense, de l’action, en fait un bon roman policier gay. Si nous avons peu de sentiments, l’érotisme est bien présent, c’est graphique et explicite, notre couple ne fait pas dans la dentelle ni dans le romantisme, c’est du sexe vite fait bien fait. Pas de romantisme ni fleurs ni chocolat ni soupers intimes, ils vont droit au but, dès qu’ils peuvent durant les pauses de la charge présidentielle ou la nuit grâce à une porte dérobée (nous apprenons ainsi les petits secrets de Kennedy en autre). Ce n’est pas mauvais, mais ennuyeux.

[Kukko · Rating 1 out of 5]

Main Characters: David James Windsor & Shane Thompson
Key Themes: War, Homophobia, Men with Pets, Social Differences, Age Gap
Location: US, Europe & the Middle East

MM romance between the President of the US (POTUS) and a secret service agent.

There was a lot I didn't like about this story…….

Firstly, both MCs were poorly defined - Shane, the secret service agent, had one discernible character trait - his fierce LOYALTY to his employer. Meanwhile, the POTUS was a HORNY old man, lusting after every cute young man that crossed his path. The MCs "relationship" lacked authenticity.

Secondly, this was part ROMANCE, part MANIFESTO and part SECURITY GUIDEBOOK. Although it was interesting to get insight into the POTUS' political views, and what happens behind the scenes to protect a head of state…..I just wanted the romance!

Finally, the story is told by the President, in first person and reads like his diary, and what was up with both the POTUS’ assistant and his dog having the same name? It's not like there were that many characters in the story….

But really, I think I was most disappointed that the president was such a gay stereotype… and I hope the real first gay POTUS is nothing like David in that respect!

Still, I could not help wondering whether the advent of the first gay president will have folks declaring that homophobia is dead, just as they said racism was dead when Obama was elected. I am also sure sexism will be declared conquered, if when Hillary is successful in 2016…smirk!!

[Adara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read some of Simpson's stories before and didn't really like them. I think in general I find his dialogue a bit coarse for my personal taste, particularly in intimate scenes. I hadn't planned on reading anything else by him, but I picked this story for a challenge (a series/author I'd given up on).

This story had some of the same for me, but I did feel less of that compared to the other stories I've read. This one really sucked me into the plot though, which the others did not, and I'll probably continue the series at some point. 3.5 stars, rounded up.

[Susana González · Rating 2 out of 5]

Alguien debería decirle a este autor, que cuando se escribe en primera persona, es imposible que sepa lo que hablan o piensan personas que no están en presencia del narrador o saber situaciones que no ha vivido el narrador.
Y también deberían decirle al autor que el lenguaje soez no queda nada bien en una novela que pretende ser sería.
Por lo demás le pongo dos estrellas porque leer sobre entresijos de La Casa Blanca me ha resultado entretenido. Pero vamos, como todos sus libros sean iguales... pffff

[Absynthe · Rating 2 out of 5]

The inconsistencies in these books drive me nuts. Names are changed from the beginning of a book to the end. People's ages change, a14 year old somehow became 12 in the 5 th book. All sorts of details are screwed up. It's like the author wrote the book and then no one went back and did ANY editing or even bothered reading it a second time. It's glaring and distracting.

[JD Waggy · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a weird, weird book; it's a romance but in a "sex accidentally wandered into my politics" sort of way. And not sexily. Just...there.

So David Windsor, very much related to the current royalty of England, wins the US presidency as the Democratic nominee despite being outed by his opponent at their last debate. He falls immediately for one of his Secret Service agents and crosses every possible boundary of work ethics to sleep with him in stilted sex scenes (seriously, who thinks to themselves "that is an eight-and-a-half inch long penis" in the moment? Engineers, maybe) and then gets involved in saving the Middle East because of course all they need is a good white Westerner to tell them what's what.

I just. Some of the weirdness here is reading this in 2022 when there is zero chance that a gay man would make it to the White House in one piece (shoutout Mayor Pete), the idea of the US being respected on the global stage is laughable, and the thought of electing someone who is literally related to royalty is just impossible in the current political climate. If anything, even the bad sex is more believable than this political drama.

Some of the other weirdness is just how obvious the author is. This is a fictional president but Bush and Clinton are in-universe; when this was published, Obama would have just been nearing the beginning of his first term, so it's not surprising that this is incredibly reactionary to the Bush administration. The author is all kinds of honked off at Bush, which, agreed, but the rants felt very...rant-y. I'm on your side and also over your politics, dude. And other parts of Simpson's politics shine through like cheap LEDs: his unnecessarily strong repetition of support for Israel (e.g. p. 153), his racism toward everyone in the Middle East ("the damn Arabs just won't give peace a chance" says our white-strong-man hero on 162), his complete lack of concern for the ethics of warfare in the interest of "America strong, hit world hard" (seriously, there's a scene on p. 183 where the president completely dismisses collateral damage from a Tomahawk strike--not that I'm unaware that the American military kills civilians all the time, but probably don't treat that like it's acceptable, I'm saying), and the weird fetishism of the military itself (soooo many comments about cute men in uniform, which, not to yuck your yum, you're their commander-in-chief probably you should have some respect there or something).

I realize this is probably way more of an in-depth review than you were expecting for a gay smut novel, but that's the thing: gay smut novels deserve to be good. They deserve to have legitimate plots and villains that aren't weird mixes of Dr. Evil and James Dobson. They deserve sex scenes that recognize that sex is a creative, team chase for pleasure. Fie upon all the gay smut like this that is just statistic-laden op eds with the occasional dick.

[Eva · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some fan fiction works written way better than this. This book hilarious though! It’s just screams “look at me! I am the maaan, I am so cool! I have the power! And the penis! 7 inches, but who counts! My lover has 8 inches! I’m totally fun at the parties! My favourite underwear is Calvin Klein! I am da boss!” I’m not lying about inches, it’s in a book. I think if the book wasn’t written from the first POV, it’d be better. It is so weird when person describes himself in inches. I’m 32 C in chests but I am totally not bragging. *facepalm* The concept and idea is interesting, not very usual, author obviously done a good job diving into all details, including interior etc. Imbalance of power in relationships is a huge turn off for me. Yet Mr President jumps his bodyguard on a second day they both live in a White House. It would be more believeable if it’d happened slowly, with doubts, fighting attraction. Alas.
Also my biggest pet peeve, being fashionista, seeing authors use mainstream average brands to show off how stylish and rich their characters. Darling, talk to the stylist or fashion specialist, they don’t charge much but might save you from embarrassment. Calvin Klein is mainstream, and they usually pair it with Armani suits. Laughable. It looks exactly like person is trying too hard to attract someone.
Language is something if you want to laugh.
“His ass would make Michelangelo’s David cry with jealousy. It rose up from his lower back like a road rising to meet Mount McKinley.”
Really?


“I feel great, Henry, and yourself?”
Henry smiled at the question Scalia had never once asked.”
How did he know this question was never asked? Also, what a bad guy was previous president!

“In a mere ten minutes, I reversed some of the damage done over eight years by Scalia.”
What kind of Mary Sue bullshit is that? Let’s bow to our knight in a shining armour who single handedly on his first day of being president made amazing changes for LGBTQ community.

In my opinion this guy is egocentric, obsessive, hungry for power, abused his position, and dangerous.

[Lisa · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't finish it as I ended up returning it to Amazon. I wanted to like it. I tried. But it just didn't cut it as far as writing and character development. I had only read about 34% of it per my kindle report, and just couldn't bring myself to keep going. Had it been a kindle unlimited book, I probably would have finished just to see how it ended. I liked the premise. What would happen if a gay presidential candidate was outed just before the election? One thing I'll give the author, some of what I read about the behavior of the president leaving would have been unbelievable prior to the present election. If it was supposed to be Bush, that was not even remotely his behavior, like his politics or not. Much of what I read seemed a lot like foreshadowing for this present election but was written in 2008. It has so much potential that was not realized, and I stopped reading when I realized it was not going to happen.

The president elect was shallow yet perfect as was his secret service agent he started to have an affair with on the day of the investigation, and had him move in to the presidential suite. But even that I could live with. It was the shallow interactions with the main character's family and friends that ended it for me. He mentions his supportive mother, but she is wisked away after he mentions dancing with her. No idea what she's like. It's like the guy was in a bubble of shallow interactions where he was robotic. :(

Great premise though with a lot of potential to be developed. It's possible the writing improved as the author gained experience.

[Linda · Rating 1 out of 5]

The concept sounded awesome and I was really looking forward to giving this a try, but I just can't stand the writing, unfortunately. There's nothing wrong with the plot or characters (though I admit that I didn't get very far) but the writing is so frustrating. There are entire pages that consist only of dialogue, with no descriptions or indication of who's talking, where they are, how they're feeling, their facial expressions, or even when they enter or exit a room. It's just confusing and left me feeling incredibly detached.

The real kicker is that the writing, apart from that, isn't bad. The descriptions we do get are about practical things, sure — everything from David's thoughts to the minute details of his everyday life — but they're fine, writing-wise. I just don't get why some of those thoughts and details couldn't be added when people are talking? They just disappear entirely as soon as someone opens their mouth and it's just so unbalanced. Is it too much to ask to get a simple "he said"? Or a reaction that doesn't have to be extracted from the confusingly long strips of dialogue? This could have been a really good book, no doubt about it, but the writing is just too weird.

This definitely isn't for me. I had to give up.

[Laura Radiconcini]

I can't write ANY review because not one of his books are ebook. I am Italian. live in Italy and I have eyesight prolems. Ebooks can be read on a computer screen with enlarged fonts. Plus the author has a very common name and there is no way to find and contact him. There are scores of John Simpsons. Who is the right one? Pity because I find his books very interesting. I hope he sees this review and thinks about providing ebooks fore readers.

[Wax · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really have trouble reading this author's writing. The words just don't seem to flow well and the dialogue is stilted and awkward. I think the story is interesting - a gay man outed during his campaign for US President. I thought that the way in which he gets to handpick a Secret Service agent to be so close to him was odd, and I'm not sure it really could happen. But it was interesting.

[Julie Hayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s six weeks until the election which will determine the next President of the United States. The two candidates—Republican Speaker of the House Daniel Gorski and Democrat multi-millionaire David Windsor —are appearing in a televised debate, the better to allow the voters to understand the issues and determine which candidate will make a better president. Things are proceeding smoothly until, in the last quarter hour of the proceedings, Gorski fires off the most irrelevant question ever to his political rival, the answer to which outs Windsor on national television as being gay! Now the question is—will Gorski’s strategy turn the voters against his opponent or will David Windsor become the first openly gay President of the United States?

After the debate, David has a furor on his hands, ranging from congratulations to why couldn’t he have waited until after the election to come out, but he handles everything with his usual aplomb. David talks to Agent Alvarez, who is in charge of his security detail, about having a certain agent, Shane Thompson, assigned as one of his close-in protectors—Shane is not only good at his job and unfailingly polite, but he’s easy on the eyes as well. Now David has to finish his campaign and do his best to convince the people of the United States that he’s the best man for the job, no matter what his sexual preference might be. The next six weeks fly by and suddenly it’s election night—it’s all over now except for the counting. David waits in his hotel suite to watch the results, along with his nearest and dearest—including Shane Thompson, whom David has been getting to know better.

The election is very close and it isn’t until 2 am that a winner is called—David Windsor! The losing candidate places a grudging concession call, one which is filled with bitterness. An elated David requests that Shane be made a member of his personal bodyguard. Alvarez isn’t sure that’s possible, but David refuses to take no for an answer, and a solution to the problem of Shane’s training is found, even though it will remove him from David’s service for a few weeks. But David knows it will be so worth it.

As David begins to assemble his cabinet and prepare to take over in the White House, Shane becomes his constant shadow and protector, but there are forces which they are unaware of, which threaten to put a quick end to the first gay president.

David takes the oath of office and officially begins his presidency, but it’s just one thing after another—his vice-president immediately resigns, there is an escalating political situation in the Middle East, coupled with threats, and an attempt is made on David’s life. The pressure is on! Meanwhile, his relationship with Shane is only growing closer. Because David is not married, and is otherwise alone in his personal part of the White House, he is able to install Shane in a room near his own, one which turns out to be connected by a secret passageway which Shane is more than happy to utilize. As the first openly gay president, can David possibly have a love life of his own? Or does his position preclude that? What does Shane mean to him, and will he ever get the chance to show him?

The first book in John Simpson’s Condor One series doesn’t pull any punches—it hits with a wallop and just keeps on hitting. At first, I was unsure about the character of David Windsor, who is the narrator of the story, which is told in first person past tense. He started out seeming to be a bit stiff, but by the end of the book, I felt as though I’d come to know him and like him. Shane, his would be lover, is a lot looser character. The two of them make a great couple.

The action is great and flows well. I like the supporting cast of characters, including the two Mary’s—one is David’s 64 year old secretary, the other is his Scot Terrier. The human Mary is cantankerous but loveable, and the puppy is cute. I love the way David thinks and the way he handles situations and crises. I think it all sounds quite plausible, although I admit to not being the most politically astute person around, but I believed it, and that’s what I’m going by.

I do have to say that the writing comes off as stiff in some places, and it would have benefited by having had a better editor. Having been on both ends of the editing process, I’m beginning to appreciate just how invaluable a good editor can be. Plus I can see things that I might not have noticed before. It doesn’t detract from the book as a whole, but it would have contributed to making a good book even better. Hopefully that isn’t an issue in the other books in the series, as I’m looking forward to reading them all.

Also, as I said, it’s written in first person, past tense, but there are scenes which are related almost as if they are being witnessed, but that isn’t possible, and no explanation is ever given as to how David is able to relate them, especially not as they are occurring. I’m hoping that was an error of innocence and that it is not repeated in later volumes.

Condor One is fast-paced, smart, and dramatic; it has moments of humor, and it definitely has a lot of heat. The scenes between David and Shane are very hot and sensual and a pleasure to read. I definitely recommend this volume and I can’t wait to get more!

[book · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is so bad that I had to write a review

The whole political aspect just throws me off. I could definitely enjoy a book with a secret agent and the president of any country.
But I don’t need the play by play telling of this and that.
I’m so disappointed with this book.

[Indie Reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

Imagine a world where the American people have just elected their first gay President. Can you picture it? What would happen in the United States if such an event were to come about? What would be the world’s reaction?

In Condor One, author John Simpson answers the “what ifs” by combining both the promise of a not-too-distant future possibility of a gay President with political reality to write a fast paced story with plenty of high drama, intrigue and action, plot twists and unexpected surprises, and with hot man-on-man sex thrown into the mix for good measure.

I began reading this story with much curiosity. The premise of the story, America’s first openly gay President, and a love of political fiction were both drawing cards for me. And overall l was not left wanting.

According to his website bio, Mr. Simpson has lived many professional lives, in addition to his present incarnation as an author. It is quite apparent that he draws upon his past professional experiences in the military, law enforcement and protection and the federal government to write an authentic glimpse into the day-to-day life of fictitious President David J. Windsor. In many ways, this story is frenetic in its rhythm just as I imagine is the life of any sitting President. Mr. Simpson does a very good job of relaying to the reader the feel of what a day in the life of the President would be.

Condor One also provides a sense of political realism in detail based on what I suspect is an insider’s knowledge of how things unfold within the walls of the White House and the Oval Office and how the various agencies of the federal government interact with one another and with the Office of The President. In reading this story it is clear that Mr. Simpson is privy to the inner workings of the American political system and has a sound knowledge of the issues, both domestic and foreign. The issue of a gay President is interwoven within the overall plot and provides for a good portion of the political cloak and dagger that takes place in the story.

The story is written in the first person point of view of the main character - President Windsor. The persona of David Windsor as President and leader is very well developed and we get an intimate view of the world, including of Secret Service Agent Shane Thompson, through the President’s eyes. Where I felt the characterization fell short was in the exploration of the characters of David and Shane as men.

The relationship between President Windsor and his Secret Service close-in bodyguard Shane Thompson is also written with a sense of realism. Both President and bodyguard are über alpha males that have attained the pinnacle of their respective chosen callings and are deeply committed to their jobs and to service. Given the nature of the President’s life, they don’t have many free moments to be alone together and when they do come together, at first, it is to have sex and not make love. The emotional side of the relationship does evolve rather quickly owing to circumstances that are not out of the ordinary for this particular President and his bodyguard and by the end of the story David and Shane as lovers and partners begin to emerge. I did have some difficulty with the dialogue between these two characters as it felt somewhat stunted and awkward at times. Nonetheless their sex scenes are indeed sweaty and hot and I was not disappointed.

Mr. Simpson is a good writer of political fiction and I believe that his strength in Condor One is that of a master plotter. I usually pride myself on figuring out what happens next early on in any given story but there were a number of surprises in this one that caught me completely off-guard only adding to my sense of anticipation.
Condor One provides a good mix of the politics of being gay in America with high political drama, intrigue and action for a timely and entertaining story. While I felt there were some weaknesses in the characterizations and in the dialogue, these did not detract from my overall enjoyment of the story. I will be reading more of Mr. Simpson’s titles.

NOTE: This review was originally published online by Rainbow Reviews on July 26, 2009.

[Toshokan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Il s’agit de mon second livre de John Simpson et je dois dire qu’il conforte son point faible : la Romance.

Nous avons affaire à une fiction totalement politique, entre complot, attentats et autres événements nous allons découvrir une course au pouvoir afin d’atteindre la présidence des USA en partant du postulat que le candidat qui l’avait remporté était gay ouvertement.

Je dois dire que l’un des points forts de ce roman est la parfaite maitrise des rouages politiques et de l’organisation interne du gouvernement. L’auteur connait son sujet et vous intéresse à celui ci car on se sent happé dans cet aspect de l’histoire.

Pourtant ceci ne rattrape pas le fait que la romance est comme dans le dernier livre que nous avions pu lire de cet auteur : faible et manquant de sentiments. On a vraiment affaire à un quasi refoulement des actes romantiques. J’avais eu l’occasion d’en discuter avec la responsable de traduction de Dreamspinner Press, au dernier salon du livre et je dois vous avouer qu’elle a pu éclairer ma lanterne sur ce manque de romantisme. Il faut savoir que l’auteur est un vétéran du vietnam et même s’il vit en couple depuis de nombreuses années, la romance n’est pas la chose qui le caractérise, il a donc beaucoup de mal à transcrire quelque chose que déjà il ne montre pas en public.

Pour ma part j’ai apprécié le style fluide de l’auteur et l’histoire qui est bien ficelée et surtout bien dynamique avec des rebondissements, le côté gay transparait dans les actions car le fait que le président soit gay engendre certaines actions, mais le grand bémol est donc cette quasi absence de romance au sens où on l’entend. Pour moi je le classerai dans les fictions politiques gay mais en aucun cas dans la romance.

Peut-être cela a t il douché mon enthousiasme à la lecture mais au final je n’ai pas été très emballé à le lire, malgré le contexte de l’histoire qui est parfaitement maitrisé et l’écriture est efficace, il ne s’agit pas d’un style débutant. Par contre si vous aimez les fictions sans réelle romance, vous devriez adorer.