The biographer of Hoover and Marilyn Monroe turns his skills to the complex story of Richard Nixon, and offers an intimate portrait of the man - and major new revelations. Drawing on the fruits of years of meticulous research (including the three hundred and fifty hours of Watergate era recordings released since 1996) and over 700 interviews, Summers reveals the bizarre behaviour that Nixon frequently displayed, his physical abuse of his wife, his embroilment with organised crime, and his procurement of vast sums of money. He makes numerous revisions of the received wisdom about Watergate, and, most serious of all, damning revelations about Nixon and Vietnam. He also offers a devastating psychological portrait, revealing that Nixon was not only a chronic and compulsive liar, he was also plagued by jealousy and paranoia, repressed emotions and psychological inadequacy. Finally, Absolute Power is a great read: Summers has an extraordinary ability to turn tens and thousands of documents into well-paced, atmospheric narrative.