House Privilege

In Lawson’s excellent 12th Joe DeMarco thriller (after 2019’s House Arrest), Congressman John Fitzpatrick Mahoney, who lost his position as speaker of the House eight years earlier, is poised to take back his former job, but he has a problem. His good friend billionaire Connor Russell has died with his wife in a plane crash, leaving their 15-year-old daughter, Cassie, an orphan. As Mahoney’s goddaughter, she’s now his legal responsibility. Mahoney sends DeMarco, his personal fixer, to Boston to check on the girl. In Boston, Joe meets with lawyer Erin Kelly, the manager of the Russell trust fund, who suggests that Mahoney transfer his guardianship of Cassie to her. Meanwhile, DeMarco needs to take care of a blackmailer who’s squeezing Mahoney. The blackmailer claims he has evidence of an affair Mahoney had 15 years earlier. No surprise, the resourceful Demarco finds ingenious ways to solve all the problems. The author’s felicitous style will keep readers smiling throughout. Lawson remains at the top of his game. Agent: David Gernert, Gernert Company. (July)