Private Politics

In her second novel set in the lobbyist world of Washington, D.C. (after Special Interests), Barry strikes an easy balance between the intrigue of scandal and the tension of new romance. Alyse Philips wants to prove that she is a capable professional fundraiser, not just an airheaded socialite living off her family’s connections. During an annual audit of the literacy nonprofit that she works for, she finds discrepancies that implicate the organization—and her—in money laundering. Liam Nussbaum is a political blogger and analyst who has had a crush on Alyse since he met her, recognizing her flirtatious silliness as an act. When she asks him for help investigating the money trail, he can’t turn her down, and when Alyse is threatened, he can’t turn her away. He’s the only one with the influence to investigate the files, and the only one with the emotional understanding to support her. Barry provides a solid romance as well as a nonpartisan reminder that there is more to politics than the news cycles reveal. (Sept.)