One wonders who in Seattle’s history inspired author Jim Lynch’s engaging novel, Truth Like the Sun.

The story begins in 1962, at the World’s Fair. The fair and its landmark, the Space Needle, are the brainchild of golden boy Roger Morgan, a man with so many ideas he can’t sleep.

Once the fair catches on, all sorts of important people want to meet Roger, shake his hand, offer help, people like the Teamsters’ boss, the guys on the liquor board. Then there are the wags who regard the fair as a big gaudy gimmick, and Seattle itself a “drab, courteous city that labors between promotion and truth.”

The chapters alternate between the summer of the fair, and 40 years later, when the still-vital Roger decides to run for mayor.

By then, reporter Helen Gulanos has moved to town. She writes like a dream, at least when she’s not frantically tending to her single-mom duties. And she has a mysterious scar on her neck.

Helen, with typical reporter skepticism, wonders: Who is Roger Morgan? Is he really Mr. Sunshine and Success, Mr. Non-Stop Booster? She digs into the city’s past and if I tell you what she finds, shame on me. Read it yourself. It’ll be fun.

Lynch’s story includes cameo appearances by household-name newscasters, pop stars and politicians. Readers will find themselves up high in the Space Needle, looking out over the scenery-blessed city as the restaurant on top slowly revolves.

My favorite character is Teddy Severson, Roger’s decades-older sidekick. He’s all bourbon, cigarettes, and a gravelly voice, and he keeps Roger from making blunders. Make friends with this guy. Don’t talk to that reporter.

Lynch creates a great tale here, with nary a plot misstep. It’s a fun peek into an America that was both starry-eyed and hopeless about its future.

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