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The Nomination: A Novel of Suspense
The Nomination is a fast-paced action and suspense thriller that brings events from the final days of the Vietnam War into direct conflict with contemporary American politics. Vietnam War hero and Massachusetts Judge Thomas Larrigan is hand-picked by his friend the president to fill the upcoming vacancy on the Supreme Court.
Larrigan seems like the perfect a family man with an uncontroversial judicial record. The president's credibility needs a sure bet. Larrigan will do anything to win the nomination, but he has some old skeletons rattling around in his closet. He calls his old Marine buddy, now a hit man, to sweep the closet clean. But there are a few skeletons Larrigan doesn't know are still alive.
The Nomination is the story of how lives can intersect in deception, desperation, revelation, death, and, ultimately, redemption.
Larrigan seems like the perfect a family man with an uncontroversial judicial record. The president's credibility needs a sure bet. Larrigan will do anything to win the nomination, but he has some old skeletons rattling around in his closet. He calls his old Marine buddy, now a hit man, to sweep the closet clean. But there are a few skeletons Larrigan doesn't know are still alive.
The Nomination is the story of how lives can intersect in deception, desperation, revelation, death, and, ultimately, redemption.
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First published January 20, 2011
155 people are currently reading
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About the author
William G. Tapply
79 books89 followersWilliam G. Tapply (1940–2009) was an American author best known for writing legal thrillers. A lifelong New Englander, he graduated from Amherst and Harvard before going on to teach social studies at Lexington High School. He published his first novel, Death at Charity’s Point, in 1984. A story of death and betrayal among Boston Brahmins, it introduced crusading lawyer Brady Coyne, a fishing enthusiast whom Tapply would follow through twenty-five more novels, including Follow the Sharks, The Vulgar Boatman, and the posthumously published Outwitting Trolls.
Besides writing regular columns for Field and Stream, Gray’s Sporting Journal, and American Angler, Tapply wrote numerous books on fishing, hunting, and life in the outdoors. He was also the author of The Elements of Mystery Fiction, a writer’s guide. He died in 2009, at his home in Hancock, New Hampshire.
Besides writing regular columns for Field and Stream, Gray’s Sporting Journal, and American Angler, Tapply wrote numerous books on fishing, hunting, and life in the outdoors. He was also the author of The Elements of Mystery Fiction, a writer’s guide. He died in 2009, at his home in Hancock, New Hampshire.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 95 reviews
March 7, 2016
Good!
I don't think I've read anything by Mr Tapply before. A few reviews said this (his last book) wasn't his best work, if that's so, I need to read more! Great character writing, they all seemed so real, and the same with scene descriptions. I could hear in my mind water still ng,a car door slamming, footsteps echoing somewhere on the other side of the parking garage, as I was reading. Good story,great writing. Loved it.
I don't think I've read anything by Mr Tapply before. A few reviews said this (his last book) wasn't his best work, if that's so, I need to read more! Great character writing, they all seemed so real, and the same with scene descriptions. I could hear in my mind water still ng,a car door slamming, footsteps echoing somewhere on the other side of the parking garage, as I was reading. Good story,great writing. Loved it.
February 26, 2021
Although I had read all of Tapply's Brady Coyne legal thrillers, I hadn't seen this one until recently. This is a standalone political thriller involving a nominee to the Supreme Court. Released after Tapply's death it doesn't really fit into the Coyne scheme or genre. Several interesting characters and subplots
December 13, 2015
Federal Judge Thomas Larrigan is being vetted to be the next Supreme Court Justice. While ostensibly having no skeletons in the closet, in reality he has several and he enlists the help of some ex-Marine buddies to take care of those skeletons.
One of those skeletons was his underage mistress, An Li, in Vietnam who had a child that Thomas took from her and had put up for adoption. An Li, having escaped Vietnam at the end of the war to Paris, had become a well-known actress but is now suffering from a fatal degenerative disease and she happens to see a photograph of a woman she is sure is her daughter, May, now having adopted the name Jessie Church. She tried to contact Jesse who now is an ex-cop working as a P.I. and hiding from a mobster she had testified against so now she’s on the run again and drifting toward her biological mother in N.Y.
I have read a lot of Tapply and mourn his demise. This book is a stand-alone, not part of his regular series, and is a good story. Not great, but it has an intricate plot with well-defined characters. I would have to agree with some reviewers that the book doesn’t hang together as well as some of his Brady Coyne novels. The ending, in particular, seemed a bit haphazard. It was published after his death so I suspect it may have been completed by someone else.
A larger moral question is whether we should continue to condemn people for acts committed while young and in the midst of war. As we know all too well, war places enormous stresses on participants. Larrigan assumes he will be condemned and I guess his overriding desire to join the Supreme Court colors his judgment, but by all other appearances he has been a model person since Vietnam. I suppose you could argue that his morality is more than flawed by his initiation of the acts that result in several deaths, but had he simply revealed his actions during the war with a mea culpa shouldn’t his actions have been forgiven? Does no one believe in individual reformation anymore? Or are we to be eternally subject to retribution?
One of those skeletons was his underage mistress, An Li, in Vietnam who had a child that Thomas took from her and had put up for adoption. An Li, having escaped Vietnam at the end of the war to Paris, had become a well-known actress but is now suffering from a fatal degenerative disease and she happens to see a photograph of a woman she is sure is her daughter, May, now having adopted the name Jessie Church. She tried to contact Jesse who now is an ex-cop working as a P.I. and hiding from a mobster she had testified against so now she’s on the run again and drifting toward her biological mother in N.Y.
I have read a lot of Tapply and mourn his demise. This book is a stand-alone, not part of his regular series, and is a good story. Not great, but it has an intricate plot with well-defined characters. I would have to agree with some reviewers that the book doesn’t hang together as well as some of his Brady Coyne novels. The ending, in particular, seemed a bit haphazard. It was published after his death so I suspect it may have been completed by someone else.
A larger moral question is whether we should continue to condemn people for acts committed while young and in the midst of war. As we know all too well, war places enormous stresses on participants. Larrigan assumes he will be condemned and I guess his overriding desire to join the Supreme Court colors his judgment, but by all other appearances he has been a model person since Vietnam. I suppose you could argue that his morality is more than flawed by his initiation of the acts that result in several deaths, but had he simply revealed his actions during the war with a mea culpa shouldn’t his actions have been forgiven? Does no one believe in individual reformation anymore? Or are we to be eternally subject to retribution?
January 31, 2018
William Tapply has done it again, a very readable novel, well developed characters, and a story that is too close to real. His Brady Coyne series are entertaining but this book is that and more.
February 11, 2014
This was one of the best mysteries I’ve read in a long time. Judge Larrigan, a Vietnam veteran is nominated to the Supreme Court in his later life. He has some things in his past that he is not proud of, and he wants to make sure they don’t surface during the Senate hearings. The things he has to hide are not anything that amount to much more than an embarrassment in today’s world, unless you are being scrutinized to become a justice on the Supreme Court.
Larrigan has his old buddy, Eddie Moran, trying to track down and destroy any evidence of his past. At the same time the President’s man, Francis Brody, is looking to make sure there is nothing in Larrigan’s past that will embarrass the President. As the story moves along, two more people become interested in the evidence for other reasons.
The searches lead to murder and corruption from the highest levels. The suspense develops as the four searchers begin to converge on the truth. The book really deserves a five star rating, except that Tapply makes some unforced errors that gave some “What?” jolts out of what was otherwise a smooth running story.
For instance, one of the searchers has the evidence, but doesn’t know what it is, and Tapply gives a very good reason why this person doesn’t bother to look at it. Then that very good reason evaporates and is replaced with a reason to be curious about the evidence. Still the character is not curious, though he has ample opportunity to look at it. Then this character is suddenly made aware that this evidence may unlock the mystery of a potential murder. Still he drives home, does a little work in his office, gets a good night sleep, and then later the next day, he finally looks at it.
At one point one of the characters discovers where the vital evidence is on a Wednesday or Thursday, but unexplainably makes plans to wait till Saturday to follow up!
At another instance, a very well trained assassin is in a car in a parking structure – true, it’s not a busy time of day. He fires a 45 piston, and Tapply goes into detail about how loud it is, how if reverberates through the structure and causes the assassin’s ears to ring. The assassin then takes several seconds to set the scene to look like only one shot is fired, and then proceeds to fire a second shot. Even when there are only a few cars in the structure, it is unreasonable for the assassin to think there is no one in hearing distance who can report there were two shots.
So for the guffaws at those places and a few others, I dropped my rating to four stars. It should have been three, but everything else was so good.
Larrigan has his old buddy, Eddie Moran, trying to track down and destroy any evidence of his past. At the same time the President’s man, Francis Brody, is looking to make sure there is nothing in Larrigan’s past that will embarrass the President. As the story moves along, two more people become interested in the evidence for other reasons.
The searches lead to murder and corruption from the highest levels. The suspense develops as the four searchers begin to converge on the truth. The book really deserves a five star rating, except that Tapply makes some unforced errors that gave some “What?” jolts out of what was otherwise a smooth running story.
For instance, one of the searchers has the evidence, but doesn’t know what it is, and Tapply gives a very good reason why this person doesn’t bother to look at it. Then that very good reason evaporates and is replaced with a reason to be curious about the evidence. Still the character is not curious, though he has ample opportunity to look at it. Then this character is suddenly made aware that this evidence may unlock the mystery of a potential murder. Still he drives home, does a little work in his office, gets a good night sleep, and then later the next day, he finally looks at it.
At one point one of the characters discovers where the vital evidence is on a Wednesday or Thursday, but unexplainably makes plans to wait till Saturday to follow up!
At another instance, a very well trained assassin is in a car in a parking structure – true, it’s not a busy time of day. He fires a 45 piston, and Tapply goes into detail about how loud it is, how if reverberates through the structure and causes the assassin’s ears to ring. The assassin then takes several seconds to set the scene to look like only one shot is fired, and then proceeds to fire a second shot. Even when there are only a few cars in the structure, it is unreasonable for the assassin to think there is no one in hearing distance who can report there were two shots.
So for the guffaws at those places and a few others, I dropped my rating to four stars. It should have been three, but everything else was so good.
December 15, 2014
Although the plot is fantastic, it is a sorrowful thing that it doesn’t carry the book. The opening pages aren’t particularly interesting and are often frustrating. Once the separate characters are connected to the others though, things begin to make sense. The story takes off.
Or so it seems.
Judge Thomas Larrigan stands a good chance to become a Supreme Court justice. His background looks spotless. His views noncontentious. No one can be that perfect. He and a few others know of something in his past however which they have in common and he wants to make sure it stays hidden. It hasn't really been an issue before but now that he's a contender for a very public and prominent position under the President of the United States, he's under close scrutiny, not only from those working for the President but also by the media hounds. Ah, the draw - the pull.
To make sure the skeletons stay where they’re suppose to makes up the gist of Tapply’s novel. And it looks to be good. I could sense myself rubbing my hands together in anticipation. Why then does Tapply utilize drivel in the form of repetition and useless detail? This isn’t the type of book that would benefit the reader in knowing that one doing a stakeout is eating apples and candy bars or repeating what one likes. More filler is found in the form of Simone dictating to Mac what the weather is like and how she had slept the night before.
I can’t say the ending was anticlimactic. That would indicate there was a build-up. And while there were times of build-up, they got bogged down in the nonessentials. The denouement was a complete let-down. Picture fireworks fizzling instead of a magnificent display.
I want to give this book a 2-star rating however the plot was good enough to rate higher. A 3-star is the best I can do.
Or so it seems.
Judge Thomas Larrigan stands a good chance to become a Supreme Court justice. His background looks spotless. His views noncontentious. No one can be that perfect. He and a few others know of something in his past however which they have in common and he wants to make sure it stays hidden. It hasn't really been an issue before but now that he's a contender for a very public and prominent position under the President of the United States, he's under close scrutiny, not only from those working for the President but also by the media hounds. Ah, the draw - the pull.
To make sure the skeletons stay where they’re suppose to makes up the gist of Tapply’s novel. And it looks to be good. I could sense myself rubbing my hands together in anticipation. Why then does Tapply utilize drivel in the form of repetition and useless detail? This isn’t the type of book that would benefit the reader in knowing that one doing a stakeout is eating apples and candy bars or repeating what one likes. More filler is found in the form of Simone dictating to Mac what the weather is like and how she had slept the night before.
I can’t say the ending was anticlimactic. That would indicate there was a build-up. And while there were times of build-up, they got bogged down in the nonessentials. The denouement was a complete let-down. Picture fireworks fizzling instead of a magnificent display.
I want to give this book a 2-star rating however the plot was good enough to rate higher. A 3-star is the best I can do.
July 28, 2023
A novel where a candidate for the Supreme Court has an unfortunate history from his time in Vietnam and the details may come out in a ghosted autobiography of a woman who does realise the significance. Well plotted and well written like his Brady Coyne series.
December 1, 2021
Overall a very good book, but the ending is unsatisfactory. It is well-plotted and not your ordinary copycat thriller. I appreciated that very much. In addition, the characters were likable and believable. I would have given it 5 stars had the ending held together better.
December 21, 2022
Good thriller.
***SPOILER ALERT***However, not sure I "buy" the supposed suicide of Larrigan. He has just been appointed to the Supreme Court and, as far as he knows, he doesn't have a care in the world. So, why would the police/investigators "buy" the suicide. I don't think so.
***SPOILER ALERT***However, not sure I "buy" the supposed suicide of Larrigan. He has just been appointed to the Supreme Court and, as far as he knows, he doesn't have a care in the world. So, why would the police/investigators "buy" the suicide. I don't think so.
May 7, 2016
A book club selection (a new genre for us) but I probably would've read it anyway since my husband says it is in his queue to be read. I think that this novel suffered by comparison to "Radiant Angel" by Nelson DeMille, which I finished just previously. "The Nomination" was such a soap opera that I didn't feel like any of the characters were very fleshed out, and the one convoluted plotline just begs for multiple spin-offs. Nelson DeMille's plotlines can be complex but not convoluted and his characters are fully drawn unless not necessary to the story. Also, I am so familiar with DeMille's characters, especially John Corey, that it is like reading a new adventure with an old friend. As I said, Tapply's book likely suffered by comparison to other novels I've read recently---and probably to the daily news stories too.
April 16, 2015
The author's obsession with boobs aside, I thought this book was headed for a 4 star rating. But wow did the ending disappoint. Right when everything comes together and the shit hits the fan....nope, let's negotiate. Who gets to live, who has to die, the fate of the Simone book - none of it makes any sense.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 30, 2012
I would give this 3 1/2 stars. Mr Tapply is one of my favorite authors. I especially like his Brady Coyne series of mystery books.
This book was published after his death and I wonder if someone else finished this for him. The ending wasn't up to his usual standards, but I still loved it.
This book was published after his death and I wonder if someone else finished this for him. The ending wasn't up to his usual standards, but I still loved it.
January 5, 2023
Read this in a single night, so that says something. It was a quick, easy but complex enough story to keep my interests.
Some of the scenes/descriptions were a tad repetitive, but that’s nothing new for fiction novels—there were just enough of them to actually catch my attention.
It was a little slow in the start but it was a slow day at my house and I had the time so I didn’t mind too much. Once I started seeing the connections to the other characters it picked up quite a bit, and—at least, I felt—maintained it’s pace pretty well.
[MAJOR SPOILERS BELOW!!!]
I was a little disappointed that Simone’s ‘book’ never even got published. (But wait, I read her story so does that count technically??) I feel that the judge getting offed by his old war buddy was anticlimactic. There was so much build up and then BAM! He just gets killed in the end anyway.
I wanted to see him destroyed. Ruined. Abandoned by his family, shunned by his uptight community, rejected in front of the entire nation, hung out to dry, dragged, his dreams set on fire before his eyes, his reputation obliterated, I don’t know. I wanted to see his actions have consequences… for Li An … and then we could’ve killed him.
Also—and perhaps I watch too much forensic files, but for a “master killer” trying to stage a suicide of a Supreme Court Justice … maybe you only pick up ONE of the shell casings (not both) … you know, because a dead man who’s supposed to be alone in his car won’t be cleaning up after himself??
Some of the scenes/descriptions were a tad repetitive, but that’s nothing new for fiction novels—there were just enough of them to actually catch my attention.
It was a little slow in the start but it was a slow day at my house and I had the time so I didn’t mind too much. Once I started seeing the connections to the other characters it picked up quite a bit, and—at least, I felt—maintained it’s pace pretty well.
[MAJOR SPOILERS BELOW!!!]
I was a little disappointed that Simone’s ‘book’ never even got published. (But wait, I read her story so does that count technically??) I feel that the judge getting offed by his old war buddy was anticlimactic. There was so much build up and then BAM! He just gets killed in the end anyway.
I wanted to see him destroyed. Ruined. Abandoned by his family, shunned by his uptight community, rejected in front of the entire nation, hung out to dry, dragged, his dreams set on fire before his eyes, his reputation obliterated, I don’t know. I wanted to see his actions have consequences… for Li An … and then we could’ve killed him.
Also—and perhaps I watch too much forensic files, but for a “master killer” trying to stage a suicide of a Supreme Court Justice … maybe you only pick up ONE of the shell casings (not both) … you know, because a dead man who’s supposed to be alone in his car won’t be cleaning up after himself??
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 29, 2020
Keeps you reading all the way!
This book was just fun to read. It's well written, has great character development and a plot that has you on the edge of your chair. It's also very contemporary as it reflects the current political climate in many ways. Perhaps it's always been this way......Perhaps not. It's certainly not a predictable book, but the characters all act in ways that are congruent to how they are portrayed -to the very end. A not-too-deep, not too frivolous psychological thriller. Good company in a shut-down world during a pandemic.
This book was just fun to read. It's well written, has great character development and a plot that has you on the edge of your chair. It's also very contemporary as it reflects the current political climate in many ways. Perhaps it's always been this way......Perhaps not. It's certainly not a predictable book, but the characters all act in ways that are congruent to how they are portrayed -to the very end. A not-too-deep, not too frivolous psychological thriller. Good company in a shut-down world during a pandemic.
August 5, 2021
(3). This is my first exploration of William Tapply outside of the Brady Coyne series, of which I am a big fan. I was not disappointed. This is, unfortunately, an all too believable story. Very fitting in today’s troubled political times even though it was written 10 years ago. We have a sort of protagonist in the wonderful Jessie Church, but we have a terrific set of characters and events spiraling nicely together that keep you turning pages and reading almost anxiously at times. A very easy, fun read. Good stuff.
November 5, 2025
This book was published 2 years after Tapply's death. Obviously, it was completed by someone without a fraction of Tapley's skill, The characters are one-dimensional. Whole sections, especially near the end, are completely irrelevant to the story. To tie up all the plots and subplots of the book, the "author" tacked on a one-size-fits-all Epilogue. I'm glad this wasn't the first Tapply book I'd read or I would never have had the enjoyment of the other 39.
January 16, 2023
The story line is great for the possibilities! An all-American war hero district judge is nominated by his friend, the President, to be a justice on the U.S. Supreme Court. The catch is Thomas Larrigan must pass thorough vetting. On the surface he is a nearly perfect candidate but what’s beneath the surface? How far will Larrigan go to get the job? Read and find out.
June 9, 2019
This was the first book I've read by Tapply, and I was very impressed with most of it. Rich characters, vivid descriptions. The writing style and central plot line (a politician trying to erase every last trace of his transgressions) reminded me a lot of "Wolf Time" by Joe Gores, which is the best political thriller I've ever read.
The problem is that the last third feels rushed and contrived compared to the rest of the book. It was published posthumously, and I saw another reviewer speculate that the ending might have been put together by an editor using a rough draft. I can believe it. There's an absurd plot hole in this section in which a main character has crucial evidence in his possession, and for no apparent reason at all, puts it in a drawer and forgets about it. Such an unrealistic element introduced late in the book brought down the overall rating for me, but I still want to read more of the author's work.
The problem is that the last third feels rushed and contrived compared to the rest of the book. It was published posthumously, and I saw another reviewer speculate that the ending might have been put together by an editor using a rough draft. I can believe it. There's an absurd plot hole in this section in which a main character has crucial evidence in his possession, and for no apparent reason at all, puts it in a drawer and forgets about it. Such an unrealistic element introduced late in the book brought down the overall rating for me, but I still want to read more of the author's work.
March 10, 2017
Just average especially for Tapply (god rest his soul). Go back and read his Brady Coyne mysteries. That's the good stuff.
March 4, 2019
I would have given this five stars (making it only the fifth five star book in the last few years), but I couldn't get my Kindle to take the fifth star!!
February 18, 2020
Mesmerizing
I’m hooked on a new author. This book kept me enthralled from beginning to end. I will be looking for others from Tapply.
I’m hooked on a new author. This book kept me enthralled from beginning to end. I will be looking for others from Tapply.
June 12, 2020
Interesting. I'm a Tapply fan and this was a bit different from his Brady Coyne books.
February 25, 2021
The Nomination review
I really enjoyed this book. It was well written, suspenseful, intriguing, and it held my attention throughout the entire book.
I really enjoyed this book. It was well written, suspenseful, intriguing, and it held my attention throughout the entire book.
March 5, 2021
Speedy read!
Couldn’t put it down. Well written and full of action. Characters well defined and easily visualized. One of our better reads.
Couldn’t put it down. Well written and full of action. Characters well defined and easily visualized. One of our better reads.
September 21, 2021
Thrilling
Fast paced and hard to put down. Talk about skeletons in the closet! Very descriptive and not for the faint at heart
Fast paced and hard to put down. Talk about skeletons in the closet! Very descriptive and not for the faint at heart
September 23, 2021
Wickedly good story line backed up by believable characters.
Not my typical genre of novels, but once I got into the plot, it grabbed me up and spit me out! Excellent writing.
Not my typical genre of novels, but once I got into the plot, it grabbed me up and spit me out! Excellent writing.
October 12, 2021
Fascinating Read
I really enjoyed this novel. The characters were so interesting and the story just flowed. Loved the setting and the intrigue.
I really enjoyed this novel. The characters were so interesting and the story just flowed. Loved the setting and the intrigue.
November 14, 2021
This was excellent read. And I actually wish I could give another half star because the ending is still sticking with me. Morally reprehensible, but just an incredibly exciting well written read.
November 19, 2021
Didn't care for the end at all. This story has been done better by other authors
Displaying 1 - 30 of 95 reviews