If sex sells, former Post executive editor Len Downie’s novel about a female reporter uncovering a Washington scandal might have legs.
By the middle of chapter two, a reporter has bedded his source: “Then she turned toward him, reached back and unhooked her bra, freeing her breasts. Mark stood there awkwardly, staring at this effortlessly sexy woman.”
Early sex scenes are a bit of a tease as Downie’s narrative builds into a potboiler reaching from the newsroom to the White House to the CIA. Sources meet hot reporter Sarah Page—a combination of Karen Silkwood and Dana Priest—at the Monocle and the Hay-Adams; the bad guy lives on the St. Mary’s River, where Ben Bradlee and Sally Quinn have a place.
Real reporters might find Downie’s novel implausible, but could it be bound for the big screen? Natalie Portman as Sarah?
This article first appeared in the January 2009 issue of The Washingtonian. For more articles from that issue, click here.
Post Watch: Downie: It’s All About the Sex
If sex sells, former Post executive editor Len Downie’s novel about a female reporter uncovering a Washington scandal might have legs.
By the middle of chapter two, a reporter has bedded his source: “Then she turned toward him, reached back and unhooked her bra, freeing her breasts. Mark stood there awkwardly, staring at this effortlessly sexy woman.”
Early sex scenes are a bit of a tease as Downie’s narrative builds into a potboiler reaching from the newsroom to the White House to the CIA. Sources meet hot reporter Sarah Page—a combination of Karen Silkwood and Dana Priest—at the Monocle and the Hay-Adams; the bad guy lives on the St. Mary’s River, where Ben Bradlee and Sally Quinn have a place.
Real reporters might find Downie’s novel implausible, but could it be bound for the big screen? Natalie Portman as Sarah?
This article first appeared in the January 2009 issue of The Washingtonian. For more articles from that issue, click here.
More>> Capital Comment Blog | News & Politics | Society Photos
Most Popular in News & Politics
What It Felt Like for a Virginia Marching Band to Win Metallica’s Contest
Meet the 2023 Washingtonians of the Year
What’s IN and OUT in DC Restaurant Trends for 2024
Introducing 8 of DC’s Most Stylish
Washingtonian Magazine
April 2024: Great Places to Live
View IssueSubscribe
Follow Us on Social
Follow Us on Social
Related
13 Major Concerts and Music Festivals in the DC Area This Spring
Mary Timony on Her Emotional New Album, “Untame the Tiger”
The Beatles in DC: A New Exhibit in Maryland Looks Back on Early Beatlemania
Northern Virginia High School Wins Metallica’s Marching Band Competition
More from News & Politics
Insomnia Cookies, Picnic Blankets: Waiting in Line for Trump’s Supreme Court Case
PHOTOS: Demonstrators Gather Outside the Supreme Court as It Hears Arguments on Emergency Abortion Case
DC’s Coolest Jobs: A Jazz Detective. Orchid Whisperer. Armageddon Stopper.
Seven Miles of Georgia Avenue Will Have a Bus-Only Lane This Summer
What We’ll Miss (or Won’t Miss) About Foxtrot
Foxtrot Is Closing Its DC-Area Stores
Taylor Swift Class Will Be Offered at American University
You Can Still Get Tickets to See Caitlin Clark Play in DC