Actual Malice: A True Crime Political Thriller
By Breton Peace and Gary Condit
3.5/5
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About this ebook
Actual Malice is a true crime thriller that will take you through the backrooms of political gamesmanship, deception, and cover-up. If it were a novel, readers would marvel at the rich character development, riveting pace, and often-bizarre twists that make Actual Malice a compelling read. The fact that it is scrupulously documented nonfiction is sobering.
If you know nothing about Gary Condit or the tragic death of Chandra Levy, there has never been a more engaging and thoughtful introduction to the sordid interplay between politicians, law enforcement, and the media. Actual Malice should be required reading for any public figure.
If you followed the story of the murdered intern and the congressman driven from office by one of the most intense media cyclones in history, Actual Malice will challenge virtually everything you think you know.
Breton Peace takes readers on a roller coaster ride through Congressman Condit's eyes, as corrupt and incompetent cops and a dark, insidious team of "scandal management" experts manipulate a willing press.
To begin, Carolyn and Gary Condit had come an incredible distance together since setting out from Oklahoma for California where Gary and the Condit family name became synonymous with the Central Valley.
In May of 2001, the moderate Blue Dog Democrats—of which Condit was a founding member—held significant power in Congress. Condit had used the coalition to deliver bipartisan victories in Bill Clinton's second term and was now flexing that muscle on the House Intelligence Committee. Condit accomplished what few of his generation could achieve—genuine political independence from both political machines.
The sky was the limit.
When Chandra Levy—a twenty-four-year-old Bureau of Prisons intern—disappeared in 2001, the wheels came off Gary’s ambitions. Accused of having an affair with Levy, a whirlwind of rumor, intrigue, and treachery surrounded him.
More than a decade of lies, manipulation, and deception followed until, in 2016, the justice system cracked under the stress of its own spinelessness.
Actual Malice chronicles in vivid detail the heartache and intrigue behind the salacious, if fanciful, headlines that too often drive public debate and derail the serious business of our nation and its system of justice.
Breton Peace
Breton Peace is an attorney specializing in the representation of domestic and international clients involved in the development of a variety of complex energy, infrastructure, and real estate projects. Bret is a graduate of Stanford University with an undergraduate degree in religious studies, and the University of Michigan Law School where he was the recipient of the school’s most prestigious academic scholarship, the Clarence Darrow Award. At Michigan, he also earned awards for highest class mark in the areas of corporate criminality and civil procedure, served as an associate editor for the Journal of Law Reform, and graduated cum laude. Bret’s legal work includes a wide range of first-of-a-kind transactions in highly regulated industries such as nuclear energy, federal land management, gaming, and telecommunications. His prior experience includes practice at an international law firm and as in-house counsel for a new build nuclear power plant project in the Middle East. Bret lives in El Cajon, California, with his wife, Noel; his daughter, Elena; and his two sons, August and Ezra. His work takes him regularly to the United Arab Emirates and the Republic of Korea. This is his first book.
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Reviews for Actual Malice
2 ratings2 reviews
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5First unfinished book of the year. Given the subject matter, and the fact that I was working in DC during the time of the story, it seemed like a natural fit. Unfortunately, it seemed to be a whitewash to attempt to resolve Mr. Condit of any wrongdoing. He may or may not be guilty of the murder, but no amount of attempting to rewrite history will absolve him of the lies and just downright sleazy behavior he exhibited.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5First, take everything you think a political book is, and throw it out the window. That's everything this book is NOT. More thriller than anything, this true crime tale will lead you down the twists and turns of a notorious and heinous crime that took place in the Washington, DC and rocked the nation to it's core.Received for review