Tom Rosenstiel’s political thriller, “The Good Lie” (Ecco/February 12, 2019), reads like a plot that may have been inspired by the headlines concerning the tragic attack on the American embassy in Benghazi.

At a diplomatic outpost in Oosay, an attack by Islamic rebels on the American base in North Africa claims the life of General Brian Roderick, a leader in his country’s war against Islamic terrorism.

The tragedy brings the inevitable accusations of incompetence and an attempted cover-up on the part of President James Nash and his administration.

Nash turns to political private investigators Peter Rena and his partner, Randi Brooks, to uncover the truth regarding the destruction of the American compound in Oosay and the covert actions of General Roderick.

Tom Rosenstiel, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, writes a very credible political/military thriller.

Though the plot may seem less than original, the author gives an interesting and realistic representation of the political in-fighting that plagues American politics.