It is no coincidence that novelist Tom Grace is debuting his latest novel at Hillsdale College, where his story takes place.
Grace will release “The Liberty Intrigue,” Monday night in the Heritage Room at 8 p.m.
In fact, the book’s protagonist starts a book tour of his own: at Hillsdale.
“It was just too good to pass up the chance to launch at Hillsdale,”
he said. “The protagonist of the novel is a Michigan guy, and his wifewas a Hillsdale graduate. It just seemed to fit.”
He said the date of the launch — Feb. 6 — was also intentional, as it falls on Ronald Reagan’s 101 birthday.
Grace said the book is political thriller inspired by answering a single question: how can a conservative candidate beat a liberal incumbent president such as Barack Obama.
“Obama is a great campaigner with media and popular culture backing, a billion dollars to play with in a war chest, and a remarkable ability give speeches,” he said. “How do you beat a candidate like that?”
He said he answers the question by following the contours of a presidential campaign waged by an engineer from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Ross Egan. Thrust into the political spotlight for his actions in an international crisis in West Africa, Egan begins an unorthodox quest for the White House.
Egan also advocates the Austrian economic policies his wife learned while studying at Hillsdale, Grace said.
He said he wrote the book to reach the market of 40 percent of Americans who self-identify as conservatives.
“Atlas shrugged is pretty much the only conservative book we have, and thats 50 years old,” he said.
The “Liberty Intrigue” is Grace’s sixth book. He has been published in 25 countries, eight languages, and is recognized by The Associated Press as a “number one international best-selling author,” he said.
