By R.G. Belsky
Comey—the FBI Director under President Obama and a longtime federal prosecutor—is the author of the new crime thriller FDR Drive, his third novel featuring Nora Carleton, who is (yes, that’s right!) a federal prosecutor.
So was there ever any doubt in Comey’s mind when he started writing fiction that his books would focus on law enforcement and criminal justice like he’d been so involved with during his own legal career?
“No, because it’s a world I know and one that I love to tell stories about. And fiction, to my surprise, gave me the chance to show people the real world of investigations and prosecutions.”
Certainly, the plot in FDR Drive, about how far right extremism powered by internet demagogues leads to one of the most dangerous domestic terror attacks in New York City history at the UN, could be ‘ripped from the headlines’ of today’s news.
“Domestic extremism was a growing issue during my time as FBI Director and has exploded into a major problem since,” Comey says. “I was always interested in the legal and cultural challenges involved in addressing it and thought it would make a cool context in which to set a legal thriller. The processes and places are all real, as is the plague of internet-based radicalization.”
One of the most despicable demagogues in the book is a hate-spouting podcast host named Samuel Buchanan, who is brought to federal trial after a series of assaults and murders by his right-wing followers—not because he actually committed the crimes, but because his incendiary words and the misinformation that he spread incited the violence.
Were there specific incidents in Comey’s past law enforcement career that he drew upon for this book? “I didn’t use any particular case, but we had many at the FBI that dealt with the question of line-drawing to separate protected speech from criminal incitement.”
Comey insists Buchanan is not based on any real person. “I tried to make Buchanan a composite figure, with pieces drawn from real life demagogues as well as my imagination”
As for Nora Carlton, Comey says he’s “not sure” how much of himself that he put into his fictional female federal prosecutor.
“She was inspired by my oldest daughter, who is a federal prosecutor in Manhattan,” he says. “I’m sure she’s also part me in some ways, although I think she’s a better person than I am.”
Finally, we asked Comey if solving fictional crimes was more—or less—satisfying than doing it in real life.
“In some ways it’s more satisfying, because I get to change the facts to get to the result I want. In other ways, it’s less satisfying, because I’m not actually protecting anyone by locking up a bad guy.”
