The Hell Candidate

Republican senator Hunter Peal has the sort of “Kennedy” charm that makes him a dangerous challenger in the upcoming presidential race. But that’s not what has his opponents or even some of the public worried. It’s his vitriolic demagoguery, which sees the man bellowing like a possessed carnival barker. And many are eating it up as if its gospel, though even his detractors are oblivious to something much worse lurking behind his errant gaze and wry smile. And there’s only one man can see it.

Newly tapped for the role of Hunter’s publicity chief, Jack Russo finds himself sucked into the whirlwind world of politicking on the campaign trail. He’s a bright reporter with great sensibility and instincts, all of which caught the eye of the senator. And now, he’s a dedicated member of Hunter’s inner circle.

But he’s also close enough to witness a sudden sea change in Hunter’s temperament. One which coincided with their campaign residency in an unassuming colonial home. The Republican frontrunner has become short-fused, intolerant, and even violent, which has informed the radical nature of his speeches. Some may even call him devilish, but it’s his skeevy plans to rid the primary circuit of his competitors that has Jack seeing red.

With the campaign on a collision course for glory, Jack must decide whether to remain complicit or derail the whole scene, although one man or mortal cannot overthrow a budding dark prince alone. But no matter his decision, the future of the country and perhaps even that of good and evil rests in the balance.

In The Hell Candidate, Graham Masterton asks a simple “what if” question. And in this case, that concerns a candidate who may just wind up as the most powerful leader of the free world. Transforming a political figure into the devil incarnate makes for some explosive entertainment, and Masterton cashes in on it at every twist and turn. But is the horror he champions merely his own imagination, or does it have real-world implications? It’s enough to make one shudder and give new meaning to the song, “God Bless America.”