The days to come A novel

In the fourth Peter Rena novel (after Oppo, 2019), the political fix-it man is asked by the newly elected president of the United States, a man he barely knows, to help him make his ambitious plans for the country into a reality. For Rena, this means wading hip-deep into the political swamp and putting himself squarely in the sights of the president's enemies. As if this weren't enough, Rena is also receiving personal threats: someone is posting secrets on the internet about Rena's position, making terrible accusations about him. It all comes to a head when a tragedy rocks the White House and Rena's whole world appears about to come crashing down around him. Rosenstiel, a veteran journalist and former member of the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC, is a terrific storyteller. Readers get the sense that he knows whereof he writes, that the details about politics and human behavior in his books come not merely from imagination but also from long experience. A perfect novel for fans of political intrigue.

In Rosenstiel's solid fourth novel starring political fixer Peter Rena (after 2019's Oppo), Rena and partner Randi Brooks swing into action when President David Traynor, previously a high-tech investor who favored disruptive technology, unexpectedly dies three months into his term. Vice President Wendy Upton, unsure of Traynor's daring set of initiatives, keys in on his energy strategy, which involves a constitutionally questionable plan to fund four start-ups, all focusing on battery storage technology. Despite Rena's personal troubles--his longtime girlfriend has dumped him and he's being stalked online--he heads to the West Coast at Upton's direction. His mission: determine whether the four small companies, in line to receive hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars, have become espionage targets for the Chinese and Russians in the race for superior climate technology. This entry suffers from a slow start and too much navel-gazing and pouty behavior by Rena, but quickly picks up speed in the second half as it builds to a satisfying ending. Political thriller buffs will appreciate the beltway dealmaking, while spycraft lovers will enjoy the detailed look at the many ways that technology secrets get stolen. Agent: David Black, Black Agency. (Nov.)

Political consultants Peter Rena and Randi Brooks return for another thriller-cum--civics lesson following Oppo (2019). Having helped Wendy Upton clear her reputation and become vice president of the United States, Rena and Brooks find themselves in President-elect David Traynor's inner circle. Traynor is a Silicon Valley technocrat with big plans for the country, and in laying them out he functions as an advocate for Rosenstiel's own prescription for an American administration. This prescription is astute, but unfortunately it's laid out so comprehensively that it detracts from any element of thrill in the plot. In Rosenstiel's analysis, the key to saving the climate lies in energy storage--a better battery will make possible a large-scale shift to renewable energy sources. Traynor creates a secret battery-development initiative using private tech startups funded from national security sources; the effort is speculative at best, but the rewards seem to justify the political risk. Then Traynor dies, and Upton takes the helm. She's concerned that news of the initiative will leak and expose her administration to legal and political hazards, and she engages Rena and Brooks to assess how practical and how secure the program is; foreign individuals have also invested in the startups and may be acting as agents of competing powers. Rena, meanwhile, is suffering an identity crisis brought on by the breakup of his longtime relationship, and, in a somewhat superfluous subplot, Steph Myers, a wannabe conspiracy theorist, stalks him. None of these plot elements is compelling or substantial enough to carry the narrative. Plenty of astute analysis and innovative proposals but not enough narrative energy. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.