The Incumbent

by Alton Gansky

Book Overview

An abduction...a trail of disturbing clues...Politics are about to become deadly. As the controversial mayor of the beautiful coastal community of Santa Rita, Madison Maddy Glenn likes to face things... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0310249589
• ISBN13: 9780310249580
• Release Date: September 2004
• Publisher: Zondervan Publishing Company
• Length: 335 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.4" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Good Start to a Series

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I had picked it up while on vacation not knowing anything about the author. The book was well-written and interesting. I enjoyed the writing although there were a little too many descriptions for my taste. The ending wasn't as surprising as it was supposed to be. Mainly, because I have a bad habit of picking up who the least likely suspect is and guessing that's the "bad guy". This time my guess was correct. That didn't take away from the enjoyment of the book, although I did find that the motive for the crime was a little weak and if you looked too closely, there were a few loose ends. Altogether, I want to read more in this series and I'm excited about discovering a new author to read.

A story with maximum suspense and strong Christian themes

In THE INCUMBENT, as in some of his previous novels (THE PRODIGY, DARK MOON), author Alton Gansky shows that he knows how to set up a story with maximum suspense while incorporating strong Christian themes, to the continuing delight of his faith fiction readers. In the small southern California coastal town of Santa Rita, Mayor Madison "Maddy" Glenn watches as those who worked on her campaign begin disappearing one by one --- with only a few drops of blood left behind in symmetrical patterns and carefully arranged to point toward her as the reason for the kidnappings. But why has the perpetrator gone after her friends, and not the mayor herself? As the attractive (and single) detective Judson West tells her, "My guess is, they want something from you." Soon, she is riddled by guilt: "I was feeling like the reincarnation of Typhoid Mary," muses Maddy. As the story unfolds, any association with the mayor seems to be an invitation to murder, assault, or abduction. Unable to know whom to trust, the attractive widow takes in Celeste Truccoli, the 19-year-old daughter of one of her friends who has disappeared. When it soon becomes apparent that anyone she loves is in danger, Maddy's mother and father also move in, and Gansky paints them both as engaging, loveable parents. Back at the office, Randi Portman, Maddy's able personal assistant, keeps things running smoothly while pushing the Mayor to up the ante and run for Congresswoman at the next election. When Celeste's estranged father jets in for reasons never fully explained and begins having Maddy and Celeste followed, chaos ensues. Dr. Jerry Thomas, a middle-aged divorcee who has known Maddy for years, adds another dollop of possible romantic intrigue to the tale. Gansky does a good job writing in first person as a woman, and is adept at laying many false rabbit trails for the reader to follow. He also writes some nice descriptions of the beautiful southern California landscape where the story unfolds (although he has a fondness for the word "azure"). He occasionally overdescribes (flames in a fireplace "dance like leprechauns on St. Paddy's day" and tears "broke through like Huns attacking a village"). He sometimes falls back on the overused novelist's device of describing his characters appearance as they see themselves reflected in a window or a mirror. Gansky also occasionally "tells" rather than "shows" ("The pier is a place of constant activity..."). He also makes many of his sentences the same length, rather than varying the length for the enjoyment of the reader. Readers may also find themselves confused when the plot ending revolves around a fire ant bite that seemingly happens on a boat at sea (or happens at a location where there is a security camera close by). Yet all of these are blips in what is a genuinely enjoyable suspense novel. Gansky knows how to keep his readers guessing, and the device of the blood drops he uses to frame his story around will have a chilling effect on the r

Politics, romance, murder and laughter-- It has it all!

I found this book to be a great and entertaining read with a few surprises that caught me off guard and a great line here and there that made me laugh out loud: "I smiled, trying to picture gentle Dr. Jerry Thomas fighting off attackers with his rectal thermometers of death." It was worth the time and money. A great whodunnit (and is still doing it) novel that'll having you second guessing until the end.