Neal interviews friends, family, staff, former teachers, and politicians on both sides of the aisle to reveal a multifaceted view of the self-described Christian, Conservative, and Republican, that order, from his beginnings in a large Irish Catholic family in Columbus, Indiana, through the scandals of his first election, to his time beside Donald Trump.

Ex-Secret Service agent Clayton White doesn't miss the relentless danger that defined his career. These days, he's enjoying life at sea with his fiancee-who also happens to be the daughter of the double-dealing vice president, Alexander Hammond. But for the most part, Clayton has made peace with his old nemesis. Then their ship, the NOAAS Surveyor, comes under attack. That same day in Miami, the Second Lady of the United States is assassinated. Hammond,...