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Boehner needs to read this book very closely and identify with Klavan’s protagonist. When John Shannon gets his new identity, he is warned that he will be tempted to fall back to his old criminal ways. Part of the story line in The Identity Man is Shannon’s struggle to walk a straight and narrow path.

In this past election cycle, Tea Party voters are the not-so-mysterious people who have given Boehner his new identity. And, like John Shannon, temptation will follow him.

Speaker Boehner will likely be tempted on many occasions to fall back to the old free-spending days of Congress, the acquiescence in which got the GOP into trouble in the first place. Boehner’s story line will be whether he can keep his new majority focused on its core values of limited spending and fiscal responsibility.

Whether Boehner and his House Republicans embrace redemption, or whether they fall back to their old ways, remains to be seen. Andrew Klavan’s The Identity Man teaches that the road to redemption, forced or freely accepted, is not easy.

Merry Christmas, Mr. Speaker. Enjoy The Identity Man and Son of a Son of a Gambler. Once you are done with both, please put them on your book shelf of your new Capitol office. In two years you can re-read them (or leave them behind for your replacement).

Rick Robinson is the author of political thrillers which can be purchased on Amazon and at book stores everywhere. His latest novel, Manifest Destiny has won seven writing awards, including Best Fiction at the Paris Book Festival.