The Second Perimeter

I read the third novel in this series (House Rules) before I read the first two and my enjoyment of it, made me determined to find and read the earlier ones, which I have now done. Mike Lawson has the combination of story telling, character development and attention to detail which should keep him writing Joe Demarco novels as long as he wants to. Demarco is no Mitch Rapp. He is the son of a Mafia hit man who chose not to follow in his father's footsteps, however the connection made him difficult to employ as a lawyer after he graduated from law school. Luckily, his Aunt Connie had a fling with the man who occupies the position of Speaker of the House of Representatives and Speaker Mahoney has a continuing soft spot for some of his old lady friends and agrees to hire Joe to work slightly off the books from an office in the basement of the Capitol as a trouble shooter for the speaker. In that role, Mahoney is asked to check out a complaint concerning some people who have gotten a government contract to work at a submarine repair base in Bremerton, Washington which brings Mahoney into contact with a spy ring with many interesting and scary results. A lot of that is detailed here by others, so suffice it to say that if you are looking for a book to take up a couple days of your time in a very entertaining way, you need to get acquainted with this author and these books. They are best read in the sequence they were written, although it is not critical.

Second Perimeter is a great read with good plot and interesting characters. Joe DeMarco is evolving into a solid protagonist. One thing Mike Lawson does that is often missing from this genre is write with a sense of humor. I found myself laughing out loud several times while reading this book.

Mike Lawson's "The Second Perimeter" brings back Joe DeMarco, troubleshooter for the Speaker of the House of Representatives, John Mahoney. When the Secretary of the Navy's nephew, Dave Whitfield, claims that something strange is going on at the Seattle-based shipyard where he works, Mahoney orders Joe to investigate. Before he embarks on his mission, Joe pays a visit to his friend Emma, a retired Defense Intelligence Agency operative. Emma has business in Seattle anyway, so she decides to accompany Joe and help him with the investigation. Whitfield, a nuclear engineer, complains that two incompetent employees are working at the shipyard for large salaries, yet they do nothing productive. Initially, the skeptical Joe and Emma are ready to dismiss Dave's claims as jealous carping. Soon, however, evidence surfaces that Dave was telling the truth; both Joe and Emma decide to dig into the matter further. Emma suspects that a spy is extracting classified information about nuclear submarines to pass on to a foreign government. She explains that "the second perimeter" is the human element, consisting of whistle blowing employees like Dave Whitfield. "It's the second perimeter that catches the spies," Emma insists. This is an espionage tale with some refreshingly original elements. First of all, Joe DeMarco is not a strong and silent action hero. Although he is a lawyer and the son of a mobster, Joe is something of a wimp. He cannot handle weaponry; he is a nonviolent man who uses brains rather than brawn to get the job done. Emma, however, is a tough, no-nonsense woman who handles herself well in a fight. She not only provides the muscle that Joe lacks, but her years of experience in the field also make her an effective combatant. Lawson has a wry sense of humor, which he skillfully uses to provide welcome comic relief from the darker aspects of the narrative. The large cast of well-drawn characters includes Mahoney, a hard-drinker and womanizer who thrives personally and professionally, thanks to his native Irish charm and political clout. A cipher named Carmody is a former navy SEAL who must decide between patriotism and self-interest. FBI agent Diane Carlucci is an old acquaintance of Joe's; the divorced and lonely DeMarco is attracted to Diane and would like to get to know her a little better. By far the most memorable character is Li Mei, a gorgeous and lethal Chinese spy who harbors a long-standing grudge against Emma. "The Second Perimeter" has some predictable and unrealistic elements, along with a heavy-handed section in which Emma preaches that the United States should have a higher moral standard than her enemies. Lawson also explores the all too familiar theme about the pointless rivalry between competing government agencies. On the plus side, the story features fast-paced and dramatic action sequences and the suspense never flags. Joe and Emma make an appealing team, and readers will enjoy this entertaining and exciting thriller that, f

It's sometimes hard for an author to match a debut effort, but Lawson has exceeded his with this second in a series. Political troubleshooter DeMarco is a delightful character with a hilariously droll sense of humor. Lawson has superbly set him up for several more stories. Because Harriet Klausner has succinctly summarized the plot (see prior review), there is no need to rehash that here. The story line held me captive throughout its entirety and never lagged. DeMarco's unofficial sidekick Emma is also a memorable strong character I look forward to meeting in books to come. This is a 5-star read for all of us inclined toward thrillers and mysteries. Bravo, Michael Lawson.

Though he has doubts as the allegation from his nephew Dave Whitfield is vague, Secretary of the Navy Frank Hathaway decides a quiet inquiry without official connections is worth doing. He arranges with The Speaker of the House John Mahoney to send his troubleshooting "fixer" Joe DeMarco to the navy base in Bremerton, Washington to ascertain whether fraud has occurred and perhaps worse espionage. Joe and his colleague retired DIA Agent Emma head to the Bremerton Naval Station to determine what is going on there. They soon find themselves stepping over dead bodies of apparent spies and tangling with lethal Chinese national, Li Mei, who seems to discard her agents once they complete their mission. Emma knows Li first hand from a Cold war fiasco, but that fails to help DeMarco and team as the enemy agent obtains top secret nuclear submarine technology and abducts one of Joe's agents in order to obtain more information and annihilate the person she blames for destroying her career, Emma. This action-packed fast paced espionage thriller is top rate because of the flawed hero. DeMarco is not sure of his next move as he has never dealt with spies before and worries that one mistake could cause someone's death even as he amusingly ridicules himself for not being James Bond light. Thus as he did in THE INSIDE RING, DeMarco takes the tale to lofty quality heights. Harriet Klausner