'''An Oprah Tantalizing Beach Read and a Richard and Judy Summer Read 2009'''
There has been a spate of recently published books which have blended real life characters into fictional situations, most successfully David Peace's masterwork ''The Damned United''. Peace's Brian Clough may have considered himself the most powerful man alive but in reality that tag belongs to the President of the United States of America rather than 'old big 'ed'. Which brings us neatly to Stephen L Carter's new novel ''Palace Council'', a fictional political thriller featuring a host of real life characters, including the real life 'most powerful man on the planet' President Richard M Nixon.