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New book about Mike Duffy released this week

Rob Ford and Mike Duffy were probably the biggest political stories of 2013.

While the Ford star continues to shine brightly, Duffy has seemingly fallen off the media's radar.

Well, if you've missed him, this is the week to get your fix.

Next week is the official launch of Nimbus Publishing's new book titled Duffy: From Stardom, to Senate to Scandal"

Here's how the publisher describes it:

"Mike Duffy made his name as a political reporter, and in the process became one of Prince Edward Island’s most famous exports. He cast himself as the ultimate insider, Parliament Hill’s man in the know. It made him a household name and one of the Canada’s best-paid journalists. But Duffy wanted to get even closer and lobbied his way into the Canadian Senate, with dire results. Veteran journalist Dan Leger tells the story of Duffy’s rise to the top in Canadian media, his entanglement with the Harper Conservatives, and the scandal that made him one of the most controversial figures in contemporary politics. Includes a foreword by CBC’s Peter Mansbridge and an eight-page colour photo insert."

The book is written by Dan Leger — former director of news content for the Chronicle Herald — who was a friend and former colleague of the Duffster on Parliament Hill.

[ Related: Is Senator Mike Duffy becoming the most hated Canadian politician? ]

Leger published an excerpt of the book in the Chronicle Herald, on Tuesday, about Duffy's early days as a Senator.

"It soon became clear that Stephen Harper had not chosen Mike Duffy merely to speechify in the Red Chamber. At the party’s bidding, the new senator was soon packing his bags for the road and a series of Conservative fundraisers that would bring big dollars into the party war chest. As so many Conservative and Liberal senators had before him.

"Duffy proved to be a popular draw for riding events right across Canada, and over time he appeared at more than thirty of them. It’s no coincidence that the majority of those were in Ontario, the key electoral battleground that helped Harper and the Conservatives get over the top and obtain a majority in 2011. Duffy eventually would speak at party fundraisers in every province except Saskatchewan, where Pamela Wallin was helping stock the coffers, and hostile Newfoundland and Labrador."

Things, of course, did not continue as planned.

Duffy was implicated in the Senate expense scandal, alleged to have inappropriately claimed $90,000 in a housing allowance and booted out of the Conservative Party caucus. Moreover, his 'finances' continue to be investigated by the RCMP.

In an interview with the National Post, Leger says that Duffy believes that he's being thrown under the bus.

"Without a doubt, Duffy believes he is the fall guy, that he and [Sen.] Pam [Wallin] … are taking the fall in order to protect the prime minister," Leger said.

"It’s definitely the case that he felt deeply betrayed.

"One of the first things he said to me … well, it’s all going to come out in court."

In terms of how the Duff is doing now, Leger says he's a "survivor".

"He's been around a long time," Leger told CTV's Robert Fife on Sunday.

"He's got an immense network of contacts. I hope and trust that some of those folks are still there to support him."

[ More Politics: Political parties become shameless in attempts to get your emails ]

The book is now in bookstores and available from Amazon.

If the book isn't enough for you, the CBC's The Fifth Estate also has an episode dedicated to the senator.

The Rise and Fall of Mike Duffy airs on Friday.

(Photo courtesy of Canadian Press)

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