The Librarian

A novel by Larry Beinhart, author of American Hero (filmed as Wag the Dog). I don't often read novels, but I couldn't resist this one, as it is a political thriller with a male librarian named David as the central character. Plus it takes place in and around Washington, D.C., which I visited while reading it.

While the story is set in the future, it's easy to link the characters to contemporary people. For instance, there's President Augustus Winthrop Scott, who's running for re-election. One of his major backers is Alan Stowe, an eccentric billionaire. Our librarian hero, David Goldberg, takes on the job of cataloging Stowe's personal library. Along the way he discovers secrets that could cause the President to lose the election.

Although the librarian's actions occasionally leap into the fantastic, it's fun to read as he uses his information skills and attempts to save the day.