House Secrets (Joe DeMarco, Book 4)

For readers who've read the 3 prior Joe Demarco books, you've probably enjoyed them as "Washington thrillers." But in House Secrets, Lawson has written a really well-plotted, interesting, and - sadly enough - all-too-believable contemporary novel about political power that it would be an insult to merely call a genre novel. See, Lawson knows that some of the DC games are simply for ego or greed, while others are for keeps at the highest peaks of power. Here, the game is: who gets to select and anoint the King, and how do they pull it off without getting discovered? And Lawson realizes that king-makers play really rough, as Joe nearly gets done in more than once. Others have done some plot summary and mention of characters -- none of whom are stick figures (Lawson is too talented a writer to draw cardboard people) -- but I just want to say that this is a book I will recommend to friends who don't usually like thrillers or mysteries. It's just a great, solid, book, just the right length, with quite a few laughs along the way also, that builds and builds and builds, so that you won't be able to put it down once you get about 1/3 or 1/2 way through (be patient the first 100 pages, ok?). I wish Lawson's next book was coming out soon - it would be my Christmas present to myself! Enjoy!

What a romp it is to read a Joe DeMarco story by Mike Lawson! They're comic, caustic, and chilling. His characters are described so originally that one either shivers or smiles. For instance, describing the overweight cigar chomping Speaker of the House John Fitzpatrick Mahoney poolside in swim trunks and a Hawaiian shirt, Lawson writes, "DeMarco thought he looked like a beluga whale that had crashed a luau." With House Secrets, the fourth in Lawson's Washington based thrillers, DeMarco has been summoned to look into the apparent drowning death of retired congressman Dick Finley's son. Finley claims his newspaper reporter son had leads on one of the hottest stories to hit the Capitol; police believe the newsman died while on a drunken kayak spin in the wee hours. Mahoney simply wanted DeMarco "to turn over a few rocks and see what crawls out." All DeMarco has to begin with is a torn piece of napkin covered with names and dates which was found in the reporter's wallet. After expending time and energy DeMarco thinks all the late newsman had wasn't hot at all but really very cold known news about New York Senator Paul Morelli, the great hope of the Democrats who has a spotless record and seems to be on a fast track to the White House. What Morelli does not have is a supportive wife. Lydia contacts DeMarco accusing her husband of the vilest acts, possibly even murder. But, everyone knows Lydia drinks to excess and drunks don't tell the truth or do they? What started out as looking under a few rocks has left DeMarco trying to discover what is truth and what is not as at the same time he finds himself at odds with Washington bigwigs, the CIA, and mobsters who don't appear to want to take prisoners. This is Lawson's best yet - a wild ride through Washington. - Gail Cooke

I happened onto Mike Lawson's first book quite by accident. I read it, and I was pleasantly surprised. After that, I purposefully sought out each consecutive book. I love the characters he has created and imbued with personality, complexities, and enough likeability that you want to get to know them better with each book. This latest in the series was probably my favorite. I love a good conspiracy theory and I especially love one that is done in a literate and page-turning fashion. I love the whole Washington, DC setting, and with each book I read by Lawson, it makes me wonder how very little we do know about the ins and outs of political machinations in DC.

Mike Lawson's three previous Washington, DC novels featuring Joe DeMarco were scintillating thrillers featuring terrific dialogue, diabolical plot twists, and taut narratives that never flagged. This newest book is even better. You can read a summary in someone else's review, but you should know that Lawson's writing is better than ever, and you're going to find yourself burning through the pages and putting off any mundane activity you might be inclined to take part of. Don't even bother turning on the TV, making plans to meet friends, or pretending that you're going to fall asleep at your regular bedtime. There's no point: this book is going to have all your attention.

(4.5 stars) When Joe DeMarco, "fixer" for Speaker of the House John Fitzpatrick Mahoney is called into the Speaker's office to help him "help a friend," whose reporter-son has drowned, he has no idea that his private investigation into the reporter's death will mushroom into a case which will ultimately affect his party's choice of a Presidential candidate. As he pursues what seems at first to be the simple confirmation of an accidental death, DeMarco must soon deal with present and past employees from the Defense Intelligence Agency, the CIA, the DC police, the Capitol police, the House, the Senate, the Washington press, and even the mob. He is followed, warned, and ultimately threatened by representatives of almost all of these institutions. DeMarco's investigation takes him into the netherworld of political secrets, most of them surrounding charismatic Senator Paul Morelli, the most likely Democratic candidate for President in a future election. Morelli has won both of his previous elections after his opponents have been publicly discredited, but Morelli has a few indiscretions and problems of his own, along with a less than loving, alcoholic wife. Like some other politicians, however, he has a "big bird" looking out for him, a secret supporter who may be willing to do just about anything to keep him "clean" until he can reach the White House. Before long, the peripheral characters in the action begin to have accidents, and as the body count begins to rise, DeMarco finds himself without the support of people he has counted on. Author Mike Lawson writes in an efficient, straightforward style, and despite his large cast of characters and numerous subplots, which overlap and intersect, he ensures that his readers will not get confused by having the characters provide helpful summings-up of the action at key points throughout the novel. The characters, though not fully developed, are individualized enough that the reader can easily imagine the novel as a film, filled with character actors engaging in dramatic and often emotional scenes. Lawson is obviously having fun with this novel: everything about it is over-the-top. The characters, plot, political milieu, and imagined context all contain elements of truth, but Lawson cranks things up and then gives one extra turn, creating situations which, though often violent, verge on absurd, keeping the reader entertained and even amused, rather than shocked. The Washington-based characters are almost caricatures, created with a tongue-in-cheek energy which prevents the novel from being cynical, and the conclusion will bring a smile to the face of even the most jaded reader. And should anyone wonder about political bias here, the author creates Republicans who are every bit as loathsome as his Democrats. Lawson walks a fine line between thriller and satire in this wry and entertaining novel about Washington politics. n Mary Whipple House Rules: A Joe DeMarco Thriller The Second Perimeter T