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A review by tanyamariereads
The Coyotes of Carthage by Steven Wright
4.0
“Elections are about getting voters to hate others.”
TW: Alcohol abuse, driving while intoxicated, miscarriage, racism
Political thrillers are not my jam. I typically steer clear of them knowing that more often than not, they fail to hold my interest. I picked up The Coyotes of Carthage by Steven Wright after reading reviews of the novel that promised it was worth the read. Although I was wary of it being a potential miss, I was blown away by the drama that unfolded that delved into the world of corporate influence on small town politics.
Dre’s career as a political consultant in Washington D.C. hangs in the balance and relies on winning an election in small town Carthage, South Carolina. While Dre knows Carthage is his penance for a previously botched campaign, he expects it to be an easy win despite having a team made up of only him and an intern. Of course, the task at hand is harder than expected when difficulties start to arise while searching for the perfect straw man. Dre is willing to take risks despite it compromising morals which leads to a larger entanglement with Carthage politics than expected.
While this novel narrowly misses the typical trope for political thrillers, and the characters might fall into stereotypes of D.C. politics and small town civilians at a first glance, Wright throws plenty of curveballs into the mix to make it unpredictable. The southern rural parts of America doesn’t sound like the optimal setting for such a thriller, but it leads to the discussion of the separation of state and church, and a reflection on racism in the Civil Rights era compared to racism today. Readers also peer into the mechanics of elections in our digital age and Wright is able to speak about it with depth and brevity that doesn’t overwhelm the reader. On top of all of that is the right dash of humor and shock that will keep readers intrigued throughout, especially with characters that are all capable of puling the rug out from underneath you without any hesitation.
TW: Alcohol abuse, driving while intoxicated, miscarriage, racism
Political thrillers are not my jam. I typically steer clear of them knowing that more often than not, they fail to hold my interest. I picked up The Coyotes of Carthage by Steven Wright after reading reviews of the novel that promised it was worth the read. Although I was wary of it being a potential miss, I was blown away by the drama that unfolded that delved into the world of corporate influence on small town politics.
Dre’s career as a political consultant in Washington D.C. hangs in the balance and relies on winning an election in small town Carthage, South Carolina. While Dre knows Carthage is his penance for a previously botched campaign, he expects it to be an easy win despite having a team made up of only him and an intern. Of course, the task at hand is harder than expected when difficulties start to arise while searching for the perfect straw man. Dre is willing to take risks despite it compromising morals which leads to a larger entanglement with Carthage politics than expected.
While this novel narrowly misses the typical trope for political thrillers, and the characters might fall into stereotypes of D.C. politics and small town civilians at a first glance, Wright throws plenty of curveballs into the mix to make it unpredictable. The southern rural parts of America doesn’t sound like the optimal setting for such a thriller, but it leads to the discussion of the separation of state and church, and a reflection on racism in the Civil Rights era compared to racism today. Readers also peer into the mechanics of elections in our digital age and Wright is able to speak about it with depth and brevity that doesn’t overwhelm the reader. On top of all of that is the right dash of humor and shock that will keep readers intrigued throughout, especially with characters that are all capable of puling the rug out from underneath you without any hesitation.