It’s election season, and this year New Orleans—hot, sticky, squalid—is hosting the Republican National Convention. J. D. Callahan is a political operative backing an unpopular centrist candidate, the sitting vice president, Hilda Smith. Enter Armstrong George, a “dangerous lunatic” of a populist rival whose appearance on the scene has split the convention. The Republican party is in disarray—but this is only the beginning. Bomb scares, corrupt politicians, and a sexy, gun-toting gossip columnist all conspire to derail J. D.’s plans—and possibly the convention itself. The Innocent Have Nothing to Fear is a biting, hilarious satire of political culture from one of our savviest writers on the subject.
“[An] inside scoop on the kooky backstory of American politics.” —The Washington Post
“[Stevens] brings a full arsenal of gifts to this enterprise: humor, tactile prose and an insider’s knowledge of the hardball tactics employed on the campaign trail…. Stevens is a terrific raconteur—funny, observant and highly entertaining.” –Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times
“Suspenseful. . . . It’s old-school politics with a caustic jambalaya of trouble.” —Booklist
“[A] fast-paced carnival of bile, guile, and blowups.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Psychotically entertaining and eerily on-target.” —Washington Independent Review of Books
“Delicious, a book that one cannot put down. . . . Stevens understands politics, inside and out.” —The Clarion-Ledger
“This funny, fast-paced novel offers a perspective that only a seasoned campaign strategist like Stevens could provide.” —Bookpage
“Gimlet-eyed, mordantly funny, and staggeringly well-timed, The Innocent Have Nothing to Fear is the perfect fictional echo of the savage surreality playing out in real time on the national stage.” —John Heilemann, co-author of Game Change and Double Down
“Vivid, fresh, and funny. The characters are nuanced, the dialogue zings, and the bracing breeze of authenticity gusts from every page. Stuart Stevens knows a heck of a lot about a lot of things—politics, the press, TV, D.C., New Orleans, love, lust, ambition, family ties, and the pressures and promises of the world’s most powerful job. It all comes together in this terrific book.” —Mark Halperin, co-author of Game Change and Double Down
