While much is known about the frontline of politics, little is revealed about the professionals who labor in secret to make the system work. Hired Gun: A Political Odyssey examines how political parties function and how elections are won or lost. This book follows the adventures of one man's behind-the-scenes political consulting career from local, to state, to national politics. As a political practice, the democratic system remains the most successful form of government in the history of civilization. However, as a profession, politics is still in its youth and riddled with flaws. By offering readers an insider's perspective, Alex Ray challenges us to draw our own conclusion as to whether or not this country's method of selecting leaders is current or fair. In today's political campaigns few decisions are ever as simple as black and white. Hired Gun is an exclusive look at what goes on in the grey.

"Loaded with anecdotes about famous and infamous politicians Ray has had for clients or has dealt with in other ways, is a treat for political junkies. As a primer for would-be political consultants, it contains its fair share of advice, from how to put a client’s best foot forward to how to keep it out of his mouth long enough to get him elected. Political science graduates who pick up the book will soon sense that a real political campaign has little or no relevance to what they may have been taught in the college classroom." - Bangor Daily News