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Favorite Son

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Aging FBI agent Mancusco and his ambitious young partner Ross pursue the assassin who killed Colonel Octavio Martinez and critically wounded Texas senator Terry Fallon, while Fallon's political career booms as a result of media attention

484 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1987

11 people are currently reading
115 people want to read

About the author

Steve Sohmer

12 books3 followers

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5 stars
26 (16%)
4 stars
65 (42%)
3 stars
52 (33%)
2 stars
6 (3%)
1 star
4 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
Profile Image for Bodosika Bodosika.
272 reviews56 followers
May 14, 2016
The first chapter got me glued to the book,the narrative was fluent,actions and suspense are plentiful, my heart kept beating before i got to chapter two and immediately fell in love we Fallon and Sally until towards the ending of the book.On the other hand I wondered about the sexual preference of Christ and his relationship with Sally.I enter the second day of the story with so much anticipation and also love some of the quotes in this book eg "Those who have the most power have the mos fear" and "only those with power have the power to change the world".
I like the way the author moves from the past to the present and from the present to the past and i also learnt one or two vocabularies from the book e.g Persnickety while day four had suspense at it's peak but the author perceptions of the Gabon ambassador and the way he speaks left much to be desired,I will say this book has some similarity with David Baldacci's Absolute Power,Those who loves Absolute Power may like this book and moreover the sex scenes were perfect and plentiful.
I LOVE THIS BOOK!
Profile Image for L.G. Cullens.
Author 2 books96 followers
July 10, 2020
This book came to mind out of the blue today. I remember reading it (1990s ?), that it was a political thriller, and though I don't remember the whole of the book I remember the twist at the end in detail. It seems to me it was well written, and I must have enjoyed it as I don't remember any distracting flaws.
Profile Image for Dave.
1,006 reviews
April 5, 2011
I remember when this book came out in 1987/88. I've always wanted to read it. At long last I did, and was not disapointed.
It is a Washington thriller set in the 1980s. I felt like Sohmer nailed the Washington scene-even though I have never been there.
THEN, the book moves to Houston, Texas, where I was born and raised...and Sohmer in no way nailed it. "Sir" becomes "Suh" Here becomes "Heah" Tumbleweeds, cowboy hats..oh boy. But once the story moves away from Houston, the story gets back on the right track.
This is a good read, that had me guessing till the end!
Profile Image for Stephen McQuiggan.
Author 85 books25 followers
November 16, 2017
When Octavio Martinez, leader of the Contra Freedom Fighters, is assassinated on live television it propels the young senator who shared the stage with him to national prominence: Terry Fallon's wounds are slight, and soon he'll be gunning for the White House. A serpentine plot that actually manages to make American politics interesting, some blackly comic sex scenes, and characters who shake off stereotypes and start to matter. Loved it.
Profile Image for Yvonne.
151 reviews
July 26, 2015
Great Political Suspense!

This is a terrific novel describing the loss of ethics and the loss of personal accountability and the loss of respect for humanity in the highest offices in the country. It's a tale seen in the news and in other novels, but none written quite so well.
48 reviews
February 16, 2011
Twists and turns and shocking developments. Great book
Profile Image for Denise.
7,560 reviews138 followers
October 19, 2020
Ah, how refreshing - a political thriller involving all manner of Washington backstabbing, dirty deals, murder and scandals without involving today's hyperpartisan politics by virtue of having been written in the 80s. An engrossing, complex tale involving featuring a number of more or less morally dubious to deeply screwed up characters that keeps you guessing. I'd happily pick up another book by this author, if they weren't nearly impossible to find.
Profile Image for Robert.
1,147 reviews58 followers
June 29, 2010
I remember when I read it years ago as one of those books that will stick with you as a well written book. I always looked for more from this author and was so dissapointed when I was never able to find any other books written by Sohmer.
Profile Image for Madi2585.
5 reviews19 followers
August 31, 2013
Superb political thriller.....loved the action!
Profile Image for Paula Galvan.
795 reviews
March 11, 2025
Oh, wow! I just read the end of this book, and I'm still marveling at the fantastic way the author tied everything up. Favorite Son is a complicated and fascinating political thriller that centers around Sally Crain, a publicist for Senator Terry Fallon (aka the favorite son), an up-and-coming presidential hopeful. As the story unfolds, we learn there's much more to Sally and Terry than we thought. The backstabbing and second-guessing are dished out in spades by this intriguing story involving the sitting POTUS, the VP, the house speaker, and the head of almost every other federal agency. When I thought I had figured out who did what, the plot took another twist, and I was guessing again. The unsuspecting Ross and Mancuso are genuinely two of the worthiest unsung heroes.

The author describes Washington, DC, as a complicated place where everyone is a professional liar. Sadly, I believe he's correct. Written in 1987, when the nation was still reeling from the Watergate scandal in 1972, Mr. Sohmer seems to be warning us that there could be much more and much worse coming our way, namely, Trump and Elon. Superbly written, this book pulled me in and held me captive until I read the last page. Witty, gritty, and sexy, I highly recommend this one.
Profile Image for Steve.
203 reviews3 followers
February 27, 2023
I saw the television series made from the book years ago, and then the book popped up on my e-book app, so I downloaded it and read it. It was very much like the television version and I enjoyed reading the book.
Profile Image for Jimmy.
25 reviews
August 8, 2018
Offensive and indecent. All his people keep on using Jesus Christ as a swear word. Very offensive.
Profile Image for Henri Moreaux.
1,001 reviews33 followers
September 13, 2017
Having read and enjoyed Patriots by the author I thought I'd also check out Favourite Son, and despite the somewhat bland blurb the story within is actually excellent.

It's a well written political thriller involving an eager and powerful press aide, a hungry senator, a pair of FBI agents, a scheming chief, a president whose barely hanging onto the reins of his party and an assassination of a visiting guerrilla leader.

From the beginning the story is interesting and as events occur you find yourself drawn into the story and trying to work out whose doing what and what their motivations are. It's not till towards the end where the picture begins to clear and even then the ending is great.

Would recommend.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews

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