Following Donald Trump’s triumph in the 2016 election, Ohio writer Jef Benedetti asked a disturbing but not impossible question: What if the two major political parties were colluding to keep power at the top while keeping the rest of the country divided? What if the divisive Trump administration was intentionally manufactured?

Benedetti captures all of this in a political thriller called The Exercise. You might want to read the non-fiction book Disloyal by Michael Cohen at the same time.

The story is set in Philadelphia, with intrigue, sex, murder, and power struggles aplenty. Part of The Exercise outlines how the two major parties select highly emotional so-called “wedge issues” to control the voting masses.

When the book was released a few years back, Benedetti stated: “The press in general is the only reliable conduit of information about our government for the citizenry and others living in the U.S. Benedetti points out that it is no coincidence “a story like The Exercise therefore could have had only one hero: a reporter.”

Benedetti’s novel is about citizens controlling their destiny from the bottom up. He emphasizes that ultimately the fortress of democracy survives from an informed citizenry and the right of people to vote freely, fairly and unmolested.

This book is timely because of the ongoing debate in our country over election integrity and transparency. So if you like local Ohio writers this is a good exercise to engage you and is an interesting read.