He was also concerned with how dated the story seemed, with anachronisms such as an office filled with clattering typewriters and an almost non-existent Republican presence in New York City mayoral politics. Because he had updated and expanded the story when writing a screenplay version of it during one of the numerous times it was optioned to be adapted into a film, he decided to rewrite the novel, incorporating aspects from the screenplay version, and bringing it more into line with how his writing style developed over the years.
The author was troubled by the story's dated aspects, such as outdated technology like typewriters and a lack of Republican presence in New York City politics.  He chose to revise the novel, drawing upon his previous screenplay adaptation and incorporating elements that reflected his own writing development over time.