The Book Worm : ‘First Lady’ is first class

Font Size:

By Terri Schlichenmeyer | Sunday, January 14, 2007 1:06 AM CST | () comments

So are you sick to death of politics yet?

Sure, we’re almost two years away from the big decision at the voting booth. There are a lot of good candidates for office and a lot of issues to be examined. Political ads will sprout on TV and radio like weeds in a vacant lot.

But, aside from the person who will fill the position of high office, what about his spouse? Doesn’t she count? In the new novel “The First Lady” by Carl Weber, she does indeed make a difference — even from beyond the grave.

Six months ago, when Charlene Wilson lay dying of cancer, she knew that her husband’s future would be at stake. Bishop T.K. Wilson was the charismatic leader at First Jamaica Church in Queens, N.Y., and Charlene knew that the rumor mill would start to grind soon after her death. Members of the church would practically demand a new first lady, and Charlene had definite opinions on who her successor should be.

Marlene Hernandez was T.K.’s first love. They shared a daughter and they also shared a dark history of crack addiction and street life. Even when she was high, Marlene never stopped loving the bishop, and she wonders if she might have a future with T.K. again. That is, unless something cracks her fragile recovery.

Tongues wag when Monique Johnson walks in the doors of First Jamaica, and she knows it. Monique has lots of cleavage, short skirts and wiggling hips, but there’s one thing she doesn’t have: Bishop T.K. Wilson. When she seduces the Bishop, it makes him pause in his search for a first lady. It’s a rather pregnant pause.

Savannah Dickens is thirty-something and unmarried, but she’s been preparing all her life to be someone’s wife. Savannah lives with her father, a harsh and controlling deacon of the church. But Deacon Dickens can’t control his daughter’s love for something the Bishop offers.

Most members of First Jamaica think that Sister Lisa Mae Johnson is the heavy contender for first lady. Lisa Mae agrees. She’s the widow of Pastor Lee Jones and everyone knows that a woman with experience would be the best first lady.

But then, the letters start to arrive…

Did you get enough for Christmas? If not, grab this new novel because opening a book by author Carl Weber is like opening a well-wrapped box of surprises: You never know what you’re going to find amongst the paper.

I enjoyed getting to know each of the four “candidates,” and I was pleased to see a few favorite characters from Weber’s previous novels in this new one. I savored this book because of the way the story twists and unfolds, and because Weber’s plots never give away secrets. In fact, “The First Lady” is going to keep you guessing until the bishop makes his proposal, and beyond.

If you’re sick to death of back-stabbing politics and he-said-I-said debating, then turn off the radio, change channels and pick up this thoroughly enjoyable book. “The First Lady” is a first-class story.

Terri Schlichenmeyer can be contacted at bookwormsez@yahoo.com.