They have been the Republicans' worst nightmare and the Democrats' dream: a stream of explosive books that are some of the most effective weapons yet against President George W. Bush's smooth re-election.
From Bob Woodward's Plan of Attack last week to Richard Clarke's Against All Enemies, which accused Bush of failing to fight terrorism, their revelations have kept America spellbound.
Behind the headlines, however, lies the story of one publishing house that has sewn up the market in tell-all tales about Bush and his team. This has led to accusations that the stream of scandal is a carefully plotted strategy by one of the world's biggest media empires. New York-based Simon & Schuster published both Woodward's and Clarke's books, as well as Craig Unger's bestseller House of Bush, House of Saud and former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill's confessional, The Price of Loyalty, which was the first 'whistleblowing' tale to accuse the administration of being obsessed with invading Iraq.
O'Neill portrays Bush as a 'blind man in a room full of deaf people' with White House officials conducting policy on hunches as to what the President was thinking.
Then Clarke's book and his dramatic apology to the victims of the 11 September attacks cast a stark spotlight on the administration's record of fighting terror.
Unger detailed the close and controversial relation ships between the Bush family and the rulers of Saudi Arabia. That seemed to be borne out last week when one of Woodward's many allegations was that the Saudis would cut the price of oil to help Bush's election chances.
The books have effectively derailed Republican efforts to fight the election on their 'safe ground' of national security, and forced Bush's campaign onto the defensive.
The Republicans have hit back with brutal attacks on several of the Simon & Schuster authors. Both Clarke and O'Neill were branded as disgruntled former employees with little real access to Bush, while a British launch of Unger's book was scrapped over the threat of a libel suit.
Superficially, Simon & Schuster seems an unlikely target for such anger. Working from unassuming offices, the publisher does not have an overtly left-wing reputation, though several executives with Democratic sympathies do wield considerable sway.
One is the editor Alice Mayhew. The tiny, elderly Mayhew has been Woodward's editor for more than a decade and handled books by former President Jimmy Carter.
Yet Simon & Schuster executives deny any bias. 'We don't want to be portrayed with any particular political brush,' said Adam Rothberg, the company's vice-president.
Others are more sceptical. The publisher is owned by the giant media group Viacom, which in turn owns the TV network CBS. Woodward, O'Neill and Clarke all launched their books with exclusive interviews on CBS's programme, 60 Minutes .
'Of course they are denying the Viacom link as having anything to do with it,' said Dennis Johnson, founder of rival Melville House publishing. 'But how can it not be? '
When Clarke appeared on 60 Minutes the fact that CBS and Simon & Schuster shared the same owner was not mentioned. After an outcry from right-wing commentators, an appearance by Woodward on the programme last week carried an explanation of the link.
'The relationship seems cosier than most journalists would be comfortable with,' said Ellen Heltzel, co-author of the influential publishing internet column, Book Babes.
Republicans see a clear link with the Democratic leanings of Viacom's top executives. Financial records show that Viacom chairman Sumner Redstone has donated $19,000 to Democrats in the past year, some of it to Kerry, for whom he has also pledged to raise at least $50,000 as part of 'a bundle' of donations. The group's chief executive Mel Karmazin has also given $6,576 to Democrat politicians in the past year.
Right-wing radio commentators see a conspiracy. 'They're launching their best salvoes here, folks. They're launching everything they've got, but it's going to land with a thud,' said Rush Limbaugh.
Kerry's campaign has received large donations from other major media and entertainment firms. At least 11 of Kerry's 'bundlers' of gifts of $50,000 or more are from the media. One, Nancy Tellem, heads CBS Entertainment.
Money is a key factor too, however. There is a huge market in running controversial political books during one of the most divisive election years in American history. The print run for Woodward's book is already 850,000 copies and is expected to top a million. Simon & Schuster is simply exploiting a market.
Five books in the top 10 in the latest New York Times bestseller list are anti-Bush. They include the Clarke, Unger and O'Neill books, and the list was produced before Plan of Attack hit the shelves.
Simon and & Schuster wants to sew up this market. 'We really know how to publish those kinds of book now,' Rothberg said.
The success of the anti-Bush books has led to a furious debate as to who is buying them. 'My suspicion is that it is angry Democrats all buying the same books. The market could be saturated now,' said Clive Priddle, executive editor of Perseus Books.
In fact the anti-Bush book phenomenon has come as many publishers have 'swung to the right, like the country,' said Johnson. Two of the top three places in the New York Times list were taken by right-wing authors, including Bush's close adviser Karen Hughes.
Publishers may now be part of the election, but many people think profit is still the basic motive. 'They are just looking for a big sale. That's America,' said Heltzel.
