If former President Bill Clinton wrote a novel about a fictional prez’s dalliances with a cherub-faced White House intern, you couldn’t help but think he was making a statement about what actually happened with Monica Lewinsky, right? Same goes for former senator and two-term Florida governor Bob Graham and his new novel, Keys to the Kingdom. Only, instead of writing about shtupping interns, Graham penned an account of a fictional ex-senator who is killed after he asks too many questions about who was behind 9/11. The novel raises questions about Saudi Arabia’s involvement in the attacks, whether there was a coverup by the American government, and if there are any rogue nuclear weapons aimed at the United States. And Graham should know. He served as chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, was a presidential candidate, and racked up 18 years in the Senate. Publishers are playing up Graham’s decision to write a novel, describing the book as “chillingly close to true-life dealings” and noting it “raises penetrating questions and all-too-real, alarming predictions.” How much is based on actual events? Only Graham knows, but you can ask him at Books & Books on Friday.
Fri., June 17, 8 p.m., 2011