House Secrets

Book excerpt: The mysterious death of a journalist pulls Washington fixer Joe DeMarco into a conspiracy of power and politics in “one of the best thrillers of the year” (Booklist). Author of House Witness, 2019 Edgar Award Finalist for Best Novel Days after claiming he had a lead on a story that would make Watergate look like a misdemeanor, a mediocre writer from the Washington Post is found accidentally drowned. But Joe DeMarco’s boss—the Speaker of the House—thinks there’s nothing accidental about it. Mostly because the reporter was on the trail of Senator Paul Morelli. Morelli is all but a shoe-in for the Democratic presidential nomination. But his golden boy public persona hides a monstrous character. Somehow, all of his sinister scandals seem to be cleaned up by a mysterious benefactor who stays just out of sight. Setting up a sting to catch the predatory Morelli, DeMarco thinks his job is done—until those who helped him with the sting start turning up dead. And unless he can uncover the powerful people who are protecting Morelli, DeMarco knows he’s next . . . In this chilling novel of unfettered power and final justice, Mike Lawson proves once again that he “has a true insider’s insight about real-world spinelessness, venality, and corruption that have taken the place of moral courage and true leadership on Capitol Hill” (The Washington Times).