Liars and Saints

  The NYT has named its 100 books of the year; I'm never crazy about this list, and I'll add my own titles here. *"The Devil at His Elbow." Alex Murdaugh came from a crime family, but he took things "farther" than anyone he was related to. He developed an addiction to Oxy, and he began stealing from his clients to fund his need. But his law partners were on the verge of finding out--so, to create a distraction, Murdaugh murdered his own wife and son. But then the murder plot threatened to unveil itself--so, as a *new* distraction, Murdaugh arranged to have himself shot in the head. This is an insane story, and "Devil" is a work of art. *"War." Like "Wicked," this is a frenemy tale, the story of Joe Biden and Bibi Netanyahu. As Biden grows increasingly uncomfortable with Bibi's self-serving and thoughtless behavior, he falls back on an anecdote. "Let me tell you about when I met Golda Meir...." Eventually, an Israel...

 A breathless quotation on the back of "War" suggests that Bob Woodward may be "the greatest journalist ever." This is irritating hyperbole, and it neglects to take into account the major weakness of "War," which is a weakness in many, if not all, Woodward books, i.e., Woodward is utterly credulous when he speaks to a cooperating interviewee. One makes a trade: One donates one's time to Woodward, with the promise that one's own self-serving narrative will appear, unquestioned, in full, in Woodward's upcoming book. The most egregious example of this trend has to do with Lindsey Graham. It's clear that Graham "co-authored" Woodward's book, because every time Graham appears, he has a sensible, pithy remark at the tip of his tongue. He always seems to be popping up next to Trump, showing fearlessness in Trump's presence, guiding and scolding Trump (with impunity). This is a fairy tale; it's almost wholly implausible. If Wo...

  A story stands or falls on the strength of its characters. This is why the Trump saga can generate so many books. A part of me regrets having started Bob Woodward's "Peril," a book that repeats quite a bit of information already published in Michael Wolff's "Landslide." Once again, we watch Trump's presidency sputter; we watch the embarrassing "stop the steal" weeks; we watch the events of January 6. But there is so much chaos in the Trump World, a new writer can bring out new angles. Woodward has Nancy Pelosi calling military leaders, asking who will be sure that Trump doesn't obtain sole custody of "the football"--and doesn't then start a nuclear war. There is also Melania, shrewdly saying to Trump, "You'd be insane not to hire Bill Barr. He looks like he is straight out of central casting." (Trump then tells Barr, "I like you. You have the right look.") There's Lindsey Graham, involving himself...