“House Odds” by Mike Lawson (Atlantic)

The Latest Joe DeMarco Political Thriller

Washington D.C. fixer Joe DeMarco has been asked to handle a lot of difficult situations over the years for his boss, congressman John Mahoney. But nothing has ever been quite so politically sensitive, or has hit so close to home, as the task Mahoney hands DeMarco now.

Mahoney’s daughter, Molly, has been arrested and charged with insider trading. An engineer with a high-flying technology firm, she allegedly placed a half-million dollar bet on one of the firm’s clients. DeMarco’s job is to clear Molly’s name and keep his boss clean. But how did Molly get her hands on so much money to invest in the first place? Before long, DeMarco uncovers that there’s far more to Molly’s case than meets the eye, and the risk to Mahoney is more than just a little political embarrassment.

In this eighth novel featuring Congressional fixer Joe DeMarco, we get a look at the sordid underbelly of Beltway politics, complete with manipulative gangsters and politicians, crooks and thieves. I’m a big fan of this series, ever since I read the first in the series, The Inside Ring in a single day. Each new novel has been an addictive, well-written and expertly-plotted thriller. House Odds is no exception.

Most-Anticipated Novels – July 2012

It’s been a while since I wrote a post highlighting a given month’s most-anticipated releases. But, given that this year is shaping up to be a real monster for new fiction, and because it’s just impossible to read everything, I thought it would be a good idea to give a hat-tip to those books I’m most looking forward to reading. I’ve stuck with UK release schedules for the most part, but a couple are US releases or books already available across the pond.

I’ve been lucky enough to get a fair few of these titles already (and have managed to read three in advance of their releases), so I have included links to my reviews where relevant, rather than exhaustive comments on those titles.

So, without further ado, here are my picks for July 2012…

“House Blood” by Mike Lawson (Grove/Atlantic)

The latest Joe DeMarco thriller

Orson Mulray, CEO of Mulray Pharma, a cold and calculating man obsessed with profit and prestige. Mulray believes he has discovered a drug that could prevent a previously incurable disease. It could be the salvation of millions of people and make him billions of dollars. But the drug needs to be tested on human subjects and Mulray needs more than blood samples – he needs autopsy results.

Lizzie Warwick, a naive philanthropist who provides relief to third-world victims of wars and natural disasters, is the ideal tool. But then her D.C. lobbyist uncovers the plan, so Mulray has him killed and frames his partner, Brian Kincaid, for the murder.

Two years later, DeMarco is asked to look into the seemingly hopeless case but he has other things on his mind: his powerful boss, John Mahoney, has been ousted from his position as Speaker of the House; his girlfriend has left him; and his friend Emma may be dying. DeMarco has no expectation of freeing Kincaid – and he certainly doesn’t expect to become the target of two of the most ruthless killers he and Emma have ever encountered.

House Blood, the seventh novel in the Joe DeMarco series, is another great thriller from Lawson. Filled with political and international intrigue, and populated by three-dimensional and engaging characters, it fulfilled and even exceeded my expectations. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel.

BEA Day the First

This is a big event. Rather bigger than I could reasonably cope with on my own (I’m delicate in massive crowds…), but what a blast! Also, perhaps the most insanely generous place I’ve ever been to. I was there from just after 9am until 2:30pm, and people forced on me 14 books! Ok, “forced” is probably pushing it, but still – they were more than happy to give them to me, and in seven instances, also sign them! So, below is just a quick run-down of the day, and some info on the books I picked up – all of which should feature on the blog at some point in the near future, and obviously some sooner than others. It was also nice to bump into some friendly faces – Myke Cole, Joshua Bilmes, Michael “Mad Hatter” and Jennie from Fantasy Faction, and a handful of other drive-by hello-enjoy-goodbye moments.

Anyway, here’s the pile of awesome:

“House Divided” by Mike Lawson (Atlantic Press)

A Rogue General, Illegal Wire-Taps, and DeMarco’s in the Middle

With his boss out of commission, Joe DeMarco is on his own, a sacrificial pawn in a lethal game between a master spy and a four-star army general.

When the NSA was caught wiretapping U.S. citizens without warrants, a scandal erupted and the program came to a screeching halt. But the man who spearheaded the most sophisticated eavesdropping operation in history wasn’t about to sit by while his country sleepwalked into another 9/11. Instead, he moved the program into the shadows. So when the NSA records a rogue military group murdering two American civilians, they can’t exactly walk over to the Pentagon and demand to know what’s going on. That doesn’t mean their hands are tied, however. As the largest intelligence service in the country, both in money and manpower, they have plenty of options — mostly illegitimate.

DeMarco learns all too well just what the NSA is capable of, but he doesn’t like being used…

I’ve been a fan of Lawson’s DeMarco series ever since I read The Inside Ring. House Divided is the sixth book in the series, and it is quite possibly the best yet. Certainly a series that deserves far more attention than it receives.

An Interview with MIKE LAWSON

I’ve been a fan of Mike Lawson’s work ever since I stumbled across his debut, The Inside Ring, back in 2006. I’ve read all of his thrillers, and with the recent publication of House Divided, the latest in his series, I thought it would be a perfect time to get in touch with him and ask him a little more about his writing. The interview will also, hopefully, introduce him to more readers – I’ve always thought, given how good his novels are, he deserved far more attention than he appears to get in the UK.

“House Justice”, by Mike Lawson (Atlantic Monthly Press)

A press-leak, a CIA asset killed, a quest for vengeance and accountability

An American defence contractor attempts to sell US missile technology to the Iranians — and the CIA knows all about it thanks to a spy in Tehran. But then the story is leaked to an ambitious journalist and the spy is exposed, brutally tortured, and executed.

Furious, CIA Director Jake LaFountaine isn’t about to let the death of his spy go unpunished. A valuable asset has been callously sacrificed, and he’s going to find out who did it no matter how many rules he has to break. DeMarco’s boss, Speaker of the House John Fitzpatrick Mahoney has his own reasons to get to the bottom of the leak: he once had a fling with the journalist, and now that she’s in jail for refusing to reveal her source, she’s threatening to expose their affair unless he helps get her out.

DeMarco and the CIA aren’t the only ones looking for the source of the leak. Someone else wants to avenge the spy’s death and is tailing DeMarco, hoping DeMarco will lead him to his prey.

A CIA asset in Iran has been outed and executed. The culprit needs to be found. The Tyler & Tyler firm, attempting to negotiate an arms technology deal with Iran, getting them the tech they need to improve guidance systems of their missiles, seems to be in the middle of the political shit-storm that erupts.

Sandra Whitmore, the author of the news piece that revealed the identity of the CIA spy, has suggested it was a member of the CIA who gave her the asset’s name, and that the spooks had been covering up the story and operation.

What gets Joe DeMarco (and his irascible boss) involved in the case, is when the Director of the CIA goes on television and points the finger instead at Congress, who were briefed and fully aware of the operation. Naturally, DeMarco’s boss, John Fitzpatrick Mahoney, Speaker of the House wants to prevent any embarrasment for his party and also Congress as a whole (experiencing, as in real life, rock-bottom support from the public). Mahoney is a great character. The best description of him is offered by his secretary of almost thirty years, Mavis:

“He was an alcoholic and womanizer and played dangerous games with the taxpayers’ money, money that he treated as his own. He was lucky other people didn’t know what she knew; if they did, he would probably be serving time in federal prison.”

There is something of the Judith Miller scandal (also re-created in a Kate Beckinsale movie) to the first half of this novel. The Miller-Plame case is mentioned, but instead of just naming a spy, as Miller did, Whitmore’s story results in a spy’s death. In other words, a whole new world of trouble. It’s cases like these that really show the arrogance and self-important, self-serving martyr complex of certain journalistic ‘celebrities’. Lawson deals with this very well. Despite her wish to be a paragon of journalistic martyrdom, Whitmore doesn’t want to be in prison, so she is blackmailing Mahoney (they conducted an affair, back in the day) to pull strings to get her sprung. Enter DeMarco, who’s sent by the Speaker to stop her talking and try to free her. As DeMarco sneers at her, “So you wanna be a martyr but you’re not willing to burn at the stake.”

The CIA and Mahoney are not the only factions interested in the case, however, which makes life difficult and dangerous for DeMarco. An assassin we only know as “The Florist” has been pulled out of retirement to do a job involving the Whitmore case – specifically, to avenge the death of the spy. After he discovers DeMarco’s visit to Whitmore, he starts taking an interest in Joe’s own investigation, and starts to follow him. Meanwhile, members of Tyler & Tyler, and various peripheral associates and hired-guns, are trying to cover their tracks by tying up loose ends and silencing potential leaks. Eventually, DeMarco is paired up with a CIA agent to exact revenge on those who caused Mahata’s death. Joe finds himself experiencing serious reservations about both the CIA’s methods and also ultimate objectives. It’s certainly a look at the darker, less-idealised side of American politics and homeland defence.

Lawson’s novels are dependable thrillers: interesting, detailed, with realistic characters, great Washington politics and intrigue. The author has a great gift for portraying DC politics: it’s not comical, it’s not caricatured, but it also doesn’t put a shine on things that do anything but sparkle.

House Justice is a novel of two parts – events around the middle set DeMarco on a different course, with a different investigation and agenda (the result of a CIA-Mahoney alliance). The stakes are higher and the enemy more deadly. Lawson does a good job of keeping the novel rattling along, but when the first ‘part’ was over, there was a slight dip in momentum as the second part picks up and is developed. It’s a pity, as usually I can sit and read a DeMarco novel very quickly. House Justice therefore has a different feel to previous novels, but it is by no means less enjoyable.

House Justice is a classic DeMarco thriller: fascinating and realistic characters, inside-the-beltway intrigue, and a well-thought-out plot sprinkled with surprises. I must admit that I tend to prefer my thrillers with a little more pace, and this is where House Justice differs from previous volumes in the series. At times this felt a little too leisurely for the genre, but it does help set a tone for DeMarco’s jobs (nowhere near as exciting in real life as we’re led to believe by Hollywood). The plot feels spun-out, but the ending is satisfying as all the threads are pulled together well.

If you like Washington-based political thrillers, then House Justice should certainly appeal. Lawson is one of the better authors producing such novels, and even though this novel was slower than I might have hoped, he continues to display why he is ahead of the pack.

For fans of: Kyle Mills, Vince Flynn, Brad Thor, Joseph Finder, Tom Clancy, Andrew Britton, James Twining

“House Secrets”, by Mike Lawson (Atlantic)

Joe DeMarco investigates the death of a reporter

In House Secrets, a retired congressman, Richard Finley, has asked Speaker of the House John Mahoney to look into the death of Terry Finley, his son and a reporter who covered politics for the Washington Post. Mahoney sends his ever-reluctant bagman, Joe DeMarco, to investigate; more to do a favour for Finley, as Mahoney (and the cops, coroner, and to begin with DeMarco) believes Terry’s death was an accident.

But, after just a little digging, DeMarco soon learns that Terry was investigating Senator Paul Morelli, a rising star considered a shoe-in for his party’s presidential nomination and the reputation of a golden boy. Terry was known as pursuing quixotic fantasy stories, more the demesne of the National Enquirer than the Washington Post, which only adds to DeMarco’s initial desire to quickly discard the investigation. This time, however, it appears that he might have been on to something big.

Senator Morelli has been luckier than most politicians, and his past has already been scrutinized by the press and political opponents, leaving DeMarco to believe that everything is above board and Terry’s death was nothing more than a tragic accident (kayaking in the dead of night is, after all, fraught with hazards). Then CIA agents and mobsters start to crawl out from under their rocks, and it becomes clear that things are not as they first seemed. Navigating through political waters populated by smooth-talking politicians and their Machiavellian aides, as well as thugs (either mob-affiliated or CIA-hired) and bitter, alcoholic political wives, DeMarco finds himself in a far more precarious position than he ever believed possible. Then, halfway through the novel, the ante is upped when things turn deadly.

Lawson’s writing keeps getting better and better. The first DeMarco thriller, The Inside Ring, was a perfectly balanced political thriller which definitely left me hungry for more. Despite a slightly uneven sophomore novel (The Second Perimeter), Lawson’s writing improved immensely in first House Rules and now again for House Secrets. DeMarco continues to be an engaging and interesting protagonist, and his supporting cast is equally well-written – especially the different relationships between DeMarco and, for example, Mahoney or Emma, his former-spy friend who has helped him out on numerous occasions and in ways even DeMarco isn’t aware of.

Brilliantly written, in House Secrets Lawson has taken the classic tale of Machiavellian political ambition in a new direction and made it his own. The plot unfolds at a perfect pace, twisting and turning, taking the reader in new directions and never predictable. The author’s prose are fluid and drag you forward through the novel, with dialogue that feels natural, and his realistic characters with plausible motivations and agendas.

An excellent story and plot, expertly executed. This is political thriller-writing at its most engaging, and once again I was left wanting more. Highly recommended.

Series Chronology: The Inside Ring (2006), The Second Perimeter/Payback (2007), Dead On Arrival/House Rules (2008), House Secrets (2009)

Also try: William Bernhardt, Kyle Mills, Vince Flynn, Steve Jackson, Brett Battles, Daniel Silva, Steve Martini, Brian Haig

For some reason, all but the first DeMarco novel have been released in the UK and US with different titles. House Secrets will be released in the UK through Harper’s on September 3rd 2009, as Dead Man’s List

Review posted from Lima, Peru

NEWS: Some Upcoming Releases & Reviews

Troy Denning, Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi - Abyss

Aaron Allston, Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi - Backlash

The series is shaping up really well, so far. Review of book two, Omen, will be up on the site soon. (Abyss is released in August/September 2009; Backlash is release in February 2010)

Mike Lawson, House Secrets

This is the US edition. It’s also possible that the UK edition will be called Dead Man’s List. Not sure what it’s about yet, but for anyone who loves authors like David Baldacci and Kyle Mills should definitely read Mike Lawson’s Joe DeMarco novels (Inside Ring, Second Perimeter, Dead on Arrival).

Jim Butcher, Cursor’s Fury & Captain’s Fury

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The third and fourth book in Jim Butcher’s other series. As good as the Dresden Files, but very different, the Codex Alera novels should appeal to all fantasy fans. Books 1 & 2 will be reviewed on the site very soon. (Book 3 is released July 2nd 2009, and book 4 on August 6th 2009)

James Twining, The Geneva Deception

James Twining finally returns to the scene after what feels like way too long. Tom Kirk, international art thief (reformed) is back in action, mixing with the mafia and secret societies. Throw in some genuine art treasures, and you know the reader’s in for an exciting read. (Released: October 15th 2009)

"Dead on Arrival", by Mike Lawson (Harper Collins)

Political Thriller done right!

Mike Lawson's debut, The Inside Ring (2006) introduced us to Joe DeMarco, trouble-shooter for the Speaker of the US Congress, Mahoney. Called on to do all the jobs the Speaker doesn't want publicised, DeMarco works in the dirty underbelly of US politics (not to mention having an office in the basement). The novel is told primarily from the perspective of DeMarco and the Speaker (who's actually an awesome character, so his increased presence here is definitely welcome), providing insight into both the public and private workings of the US government.

A series of failed attacks by Muslim Americans gets the politicians all riled up and calling for blood. At first, the call is only from a freshman, Senator Broderick, who calls for Muslim registration (to begin with). As these attacks get larger and more brazen, the Speaker sends DeMarco off to investigate why one of the attackers, who happened to be a family friend, decided to slaughter his family and try to fly his Cessna into the White House.

Working with various government agencies (cheekily dropping the Speaker's name whenever he meets resistance), DeMarco uncovers a plot of far greater magnitude and consequence.

Lawson has recovered from his lacklustre second novel, The Payback (2007), and Dead On Arrival returns us to a gritty political world, where almost everyone can be bought or intimidate. For a hatchetman, DeMarco lacks the Bond-esque qualities of many leading men (he's uncomfortable around guns, for example, and has a habit of getting caught), making him far more believable and, strangely, likeable.

With tighter prose, Lawson's really upped his game. A longer, slow-burning thriller, Dead On Arrival will appeal to anyone who likes political thrillers focussing on current events, and especially those who aren't in any hurry to get to the end. Highly recommended in a field that is growing increasingly more popular and competitive.

For fans of: Andrew Britton, Vince Flynn, Kyle Mills, Alex Berenson, David Baldacci