A Crooked Man by Christopher Lehmann-Haupt

Great potential but fails to deliver

Originally published in 1995.

A Crooked Man features U.S. Senator Nick Schlafer who has proposed to decriminalize drugs across the United States. Soon afterwards he is caught up in a confusing maelstrom of drug power players who may or may not want the bill to be passed, including the Drug Czar and mafia-types.

Schlafer's difficulties are complicated by a messy family background, including a daughter whom police believe slit her wrists while high on drugs. Family politics and national politics become intertwined and the book really starts to lose its focus. Schlafer is confused about who to trust and family secrets are exposed that shake him to his foundations. However, so many different things are going on that Lehmann-Haupt does a poor job of keeping all of the strands moving forward in a credible and meaningful way.

While a breeze to read, I was not terribly impressed.

I rate this book 3 stars out of 5 and it can be found on Amazon.com here: A Crooked Man by Christopher Lehmann-Haupt.

Reviewed on May 11, 2006.