A Fine and Dangerous Season by Keith Raffel

I like political thrillers. This one mixes history with fiction and tells the story of how Jack Kennedy's friend Nate Michaels saves the world from WWIII during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

This was less thrill and more political, I think. Nate Michaels, a California businessman and an estranged college friend of President Kennedy, is unexpectedly summoned to the president's assistance with the delicate business between America and Russia. Nate is completely unofficial, yet his friendship with a Russian diplomat could help avert a war.

I really enjoyed this book. For one thing, I could enjoy the journey more since I did know the ultimate ending--the Cuban Missile Crisis was (obviously) resolved and war averted. I also enjoyed the (largely fictional, of course, but still interesting) glimpse into Kennedy's presidency. I really liked our main character, Nate, and I was captured by the little retrospectives into his past that showed how his relationship with Jack was damaged and why he (Nate) felt it could never be mended.

It also prompted me to ask a question that I've asked before: can an unfaithful husband be a good man? If he breaks that important promise--even at the risk of negative public opinion--can he be trusted to keep any other promise? My short answer is NO. John F. Kennedy was never faithful to any woman and his whole character must be compromised by such a deep and constant failure of personal integrity. On the other hand, all of us make mistakes, right? We can be sorry for those mistakes and resolve never to make them again. And hopefully we can be forgiven, right? So are we to be forever condemned by our mistakes? I hope not, although even today a "politically incorrect" mistake can dash a career (a la Paula Deen). Ironically, sexual pecadillos (pick any celebrity) and even criminal convictions (e.g. Martha Stewart) don't seem to be reputation breakers/career enders. But! Sexual dalliance can still founder a political career. And Kennedy's sexual exploits were ongoing--he never redeemed himself from infidelity--he was sexually promiscuous from the onset of his sexual life until his death. Can this persistent infidelity indicate a basic character weakness? I thought about this as I read about this portrait of Kennedy and this particular time in his presidency.

Anyway, it was a good book that I enjoyed.

Sex: Several recountings of Kennedy's sexual adventures in college, some a little bit graphic, although not portrayed in a titillating fashion.This book was not about Kennedy's sex life, but about the relationship between Kennedy and Nate AND about the Washington scene during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Bad language: a few swear words, not many