THE WHITE HOUSE MESS

In Buckley’s ludicrously plausible imagination there was a President Thomas N Tucker between Reagan and Bush, (1989–93). The book takes the form of a memoir by his friend and assistant, Herbert Wadlough. It’s all here – sex, drink, drugs and scandal – recounted in well-paced prose that is both compelling and humorous. Each chapter is a short story in itself, helping to paint a clear picture of a four-year farce. It is reminiscent at times of reading Wodehouse’s Blandings short stories. High praise, indeed.