Customer Reviews

House Secrets: A Joe DeMarco Thriller

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(4.5 stars) When Joe DeMarco, "fixer" for Speaker of the House John Fitzpatrick Mahoney is called into the Speaker's office to help him "help a friend," whose reporter-son has drowned, he has no idea that his private investigation into the reporter's death will mushroom into a case which will ultimately affect his party's choice of a Presidential candidate. As he pursues what seems at first to be the simple confirmation of an accidental death, DeMarco must soon deal with present and past employees from the Defense Intelligence Agency, the CIA, the DC police, the Capitol police, the House, the Senate, the Washington press, and even the mob. He is followed, warned, and ultimately threatened by representatives of almost all of these institutions.

DeMarco's investigation takes him into the netherworld of political secrets, most of them surrounding charismatic Senator Paul Morelli, the most likely Democratic candidate for President in a future election. Morelli has won both of his previous elections after his opponents have been publicly discredited, but Morelli has a few indiscretions and problems of his own, along with a less than loving, alcoholic wife. Like some other politicians, however, he has a "big bird" looking out for him, a secret supporter who may be willing to do just about anything to keep him "clean" until he can reach the White House. Before long, the peripheral characters in the action begin to have accidents, and as the body count begins to rise, DeMarco finds himself without the support of people he has counted on.

Author Mike Lawson writes in an efficient, straightforward style, and despite his large cast of characters and numerous subplots, which overlap and intersect, he ensures that his readers will not get confused by having the characters provide helpful summings-up of the action at key points throughout the novel. The characters, though not fully developed, are individualized enough that the reader can easily imagine the novel as a film, filled with character actors engaging in dramatic and often emotional scenes.

Lawson is obviously having fun with this novel: everything about it is over-the-top. The characters, plot, political milieu, and imagined context all contain elements of truth, but Lawson cranks things up and then gives one extra turn, creating situations which, though often violent, verge on absurd, keeping the reader entertained and even amused, rather than shocked. The Washington-based characters are almost caricatures, created with a tongue-in-cheek energy which prevents the novel from being cynical, and the conclusion will bring a smile to the face of even the most jaded reader. And should anyone wonder about political bias here, the author creates Republicans who are every bit as loathsome as his Democrats. Lawson walks a fine line between thriller and satire in this wry and entertaining novel about Washington politics. n Mary Whipple

House Rules: A Joe DeMarco Thriller
The Second Perimeter
The Inside Ring
The Payback

Joe DeMarco, fixer and go-to guy for Speaker of the House John Fitzpatrick Mahoney, is back in Mike Lawson's "House Secrets." Mahoney, who is a hard-drinking womanizer and Washington power-broker, orders Joe to do a favor for retired congressman Dick Finley. Finley's son, Tim, was an ambitious reporter who died in what was ruled a boating accident. Tim's father doesn't buy this scenario; he insists that that his son was murdered to keep him from revealing an explosive secret. It's Joe's job to "turn over a few rocks and see what crawls out." Joe does so, and what he finds are some ugly and violent creatures, some of whom walk on two legs.

Joe's pal and critic, Emma, a beautiful and brainy former operative for the Defense Intelligence Agency, uses her considerable clout and contacts to assist Joe in his investigation. It turns out that there may be a conspiracy afoot to propel the handsome and charismatic Senator Paul Morelli to the White House. If this turns out to be the case, who is the mastermind behind Morelli's meteoric rise and what would this person do if anyone got in his way--say, a nosty reporter with dirt on Morelli or a pushy lawyer named Joe DeMarco?

Lawson is well-versed in the workings of the nation's capitol, although he makes it seem more like Peyton Place than a site where dedicated legislators work hard on behalf of their constituents. "House Secrets" contains enough intrigue, betrayals, sexual misconduct, and financial malfeasance to keep a soap opera afloat for years. DeMarco's dad worked for the mob, but Joe is a peace-loving individual. His specialty is ferreting out facts for his boss, not making threats or wielding a weapon. Even with Emma's help, however, DeMarco is having a hard time getting anyone to talk frankly about Morelli. Could it be that there is really nothing to tell or did someone more menacing than Joe scare these witnesses into keeping their mouths shut? One possible source is Lydia, Morelli's alcoholic wife, who is so depressed and angry that she may be willing to spill the beans.

"House Secrets" has a very busy plot, with allusions to rape, bribery, political corruption, and murder for hire. At over three hundred and fifty-pages, the novel feels padded and could have been streamlined with ease. For instance, a subplot dealing with an aging CIA man who has his own agenda adds nothing to the mix and should have been eliminated. Fortunately, Joe is as cheeky and self-deprecating as ever. He's no hero and he knows it, but he does have the courage of his convictions and is willing to risk his life to see that justice is done. On the other hand, the suspense is minimal, since the reader has a fairly good idea of who the bad guys are and what will happen to them. The dialogue is a bit too heavy-handed and most of the characters are stereotypes (dumb hoodlum, militant black man, aspiring actress, ruthless henchman, brilliant computer hacker, etc.). Although there are a few neat surprises here (especially on the last page), Lawson's themes have, for the most part, been explored with more subtlety in other political thrillers.

What a romp it is to read a Joe DeMarco story by Mike Lawson! They're comic, caustic, and chilling. His characters are described so originally that one either shivers or smiles. For instance, describing the overweight cigar chomping Speaker of the House John Fitzpatrick Mahoney poolside in swim trunks and a Hawaiian shirt, Lawson writes, "DeMarco thought he looked like a beluga whale that had crashed a luau."

With House Secrets, the fourth in Lawson's Washington based thrillers, DeMarco has been summoned to look into the apparent drowning death of retired congressman Dick Finley's son. Finley claims his newspaper reporter son had leads on one of the hottest stories to hit the Capitol; police believe the newsman died while on a drunken kayak spin in the wee hours. Mahoney simply wanted DeMarco "to turn over a few rocks and see what crawls out."

All DeMarco has to begin with is a torn piece of napkin covered with names and dates which was found in the reporter's wallet. After expending time and energy DeMarco thinks all the late newsman had wasn't hot at all but really very cold known news about New York Senator Paul Morelli, the great hope of the Democrats who has a spotless record and seems to be on a fast track to the White House.

What Morelli does not have is a supportive wife. Lydia contacts DeMarco accusing her husband of the vilest acts, possibly even murder. But, everyone knows Lydia drinks to excess and drunks don't tell the truth or do they?
What started out as looking under a few rocks has left DeMarco trying to discover what is truth and what is not as at the same time he finds himself at odds with Washington bigwigs, the CIA, and mobsters who don't appear to want to take prisoners.

This is Lawson's best yet - a wild ride through Washington.

- Gail Cooke

As Joe De Marco, right hand man and ubiquitous fixer for Speaker of the House John Fitzpatrick Mahoney, returns in another adventure, Lawson's on his game from the first chapter. Writing with the raw energy and directness that defines his novels, Lawson injects his stories with political intrigue, eccentric characters and the quirky- sometimes dangerous- world of Washington politics, where the stakes are high and the margin for error finite. In House Secrets, De Marco is sent on an obscure mission: investigate the claims of a grieving father who believes his mediocre journalist son was a victim of foul play. With little to work on but a list of names and a partial phone number, De Marco finds himself reluctant to delve into a case that may threaten the political ambitions of the next viable candidate for the President of the United States.

Paul Morelli is a stellar political figure, moving flawlessly from assistant district attorney to district attorney to NYC mayor and senator with a fine reputation of public service and moral integrity. Everyone wants this guy to succeed, especially Joe's boss, the Speaker. Calling for assistance from some familiar characters of earlier De Marco novels, Joe learns that he is being shadowed by ex-CIA operatives. His loyalties divided between political expedience and a basic belief in integrity, even in Washington, DC, De Marco is confronted with difficult choices and considerable danger. For all the charisma of public political life, the ugly underbelly of ambition breeds some particularly nasty individuals, including a ruthless chief of staff, current and former intelligence agents and a random sampling of mobsters.

De Marco feints and weaves, dodging those who would do him harm while pursuing the truth. Staring into the cold eyes of a monster, De Marco confronts an ambitious man who will stop at nothing to achieve his goals. Fast-paced, current and spiced with cynicism and private betrayals, Lawson delivers a solid mystery, his take on Washington clear-eyed and devoid of hero worship. Although in this incarnation Mahoney comes across as more self-serving than usual, the Speaker of the House has become a convenient foil for De Marco's forays into politics and mayhem, regardless of the bodies that fall in the wake of a particularly venal sociopath and his mentor. As expected, Joe De Marco reveals the trappings of power, the men who govern the nation and a heady brew of ambition and opportunity, a theater for drama where strange bedfellows make deals in the dark. Luan Gaines/2009.

We know that most of the people who want to be president are more than they appear. Here the ambitious senator is truly evil. A great make your troubles go away book. You will be hooked and busy, so your problems can be forgotten for a while. Joe finally learns to shoot. About time. A great series.

Joe Demarco has a job that only a few people truly understand and that even less would envy. His office is in the basement of the Capitol and he answers to only one person, the Speaker of the House. When Speaker Mashoney has a problem or an issue with a colleague or is asked for help on a matter, the one person he turns to the most is Demarco. He is a fixer of problems.

The one that dominates this novel concerns a retired colleague's son who has died under circumstances which the police have called accidental. The deceased is a reporter for the Wasington Post and there is a suspicion that he might have been working on a story that ended up getting him killed.

While this seems a bit far fetched as Demarco investigates it, things turn deadly interesting when the wife of a US Senator who has White House aspirations come forward and informs Demarco that the reporter was indeed killed because of the story he was working on. She was the storie's source and the person responsible for the death was her husband. YIKES!!

Lydia Morelli, however, is not exactly a reliable witness. She has a serious alcahol problem, is distraught about the death of her daughter which she a lays at her husband's doorstep and has some serious credibility problems.

As Demarco tries to get to the bottom of things, events start to spin out of control and the twists and turns of the remainder of the book are interesting, to say the least and will probably keep you up late trying to get to the end of what turns out to be a good, solid read.

This was a great book to read. There were no slow points in the story and the reader is generally encouraged to continue turning the pages. The story line has adventure in it as well as a fair amount of mystery once the background is set for the reader. Joe Demarco the main character is once again thrown into what starts out to be a simple investigation of a murder, but resolves into an escalation where he investigates the background of a potential presidential candidate. Things really start to heat up when the candidate's wife is killed under what might be suspicous circumstances.

The story line hooks the reader and will keep you turning the pages. The final solution is really a masterpiece on the part of the author and leaves the reader with some thought provoking questions. There really is not much in the way of "thrills" in the work, but there is definitely enough action to keep the reader occupied with the book. Pick up a copy, you won't be disappointed if you relish a good mystery book.

This is a very good book. It flows really well, and it is easy to read. I would recommend this book.

Whilst not quite the standard of Lawson's debut Joe DeMarco thriller, 'The Inside Ring', House Rules has all the qualities of a fine, adrenaline-filled political thriller. Lawson's plotting is, as usual, top-notch & complex. As with most good thrillers of this type, the characters are a mixture of multidimensional personalities, whose actual roles in the tale are often unclear, leaving the reader wondering who are the good guys & who are the bad. Then there is the obligatory puppet master, hidden from the reader, but clearly in a position of authority and control. In House Rules, DeMarco is asked to investigate the death of a young investigative reporter who claimed to have uncovered a huge political scandal involving a prominrnt US Senator, who just happens to be considered a shoo-in for his party's nomination for the Presidency. For the young reporter, his discoveries have proved extremely injurous to his health. And now DeMarco, on the same trail, is facing the same danger, as a combination of corrupt politicians, dirty secrets, and wayward intelligence operatives cause his investigation to spiral out of control. As the death toll mounts, DeMarco has to put all the pieces of the jigsaw together & reveal the truth, before he too joins that list. And the endgame, when it comes, is not what the reader might expect, but Lawson knows his trade, and the finale is both satisfying and appropriate. For those who remember the life & demise of the late unlamented Jimmy Hoffa, the final twist in the tail will appeal. Very enjoyable read!

I became a huge fan of Joe DeMarco with the first book in the series, The Inside Ring. To be more honest, I am a fan of Emma, his colleague in each novel. While DeMarco is good at handling normal problems while working for the Speaker of the House, things like backing down would be blackmailers or overzealous lobbyists, Emma, a "former" DIA agent, is the woman to turn to when the case gets really nasty, as several in the series have thus far. The assignment in this novel is even more deadly than the previous ones, which is saying something. The villian is incredibly sly and deceitful while being a politician in every sense. People who cross him die. Joe and Emma have crossed him. Mr. Lawson's writing is fast paced and captivating. There are no slow spots in his novels to bog down the reader - they might give a moment to catch your breath here or there but it is recommended that you inhale quickly.