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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Riveting Whodunit Thriller - Quirky Cast Of Characters!,, 6 Jun 2005
From the adrenalin-charged Prologue, where a sniper takes three shots at the President of the United States, wounding him, and killing his best friend and a secret service agent in the process, Michael Lawson's "The Inside Circle" provides a roller-coaster ride of a riveting read. This suspense thriller has a tautly written storyline involving political corruption, blatant abuse of government power, cover-ups at the highest levels, murder, incest, and a lurid gothic tale of a megalomaniac who rules his turf with an iron fist. The sign on lawyer Joe DeMarco's office door, reads "Counsel Pro Tem For Liaison Affairs, J. DeMarco." The title was the invention of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, for whom Joe works. His job description reads "get it done guy." He is Speaker John Fitzgerald Mahoney's heavy, the man to go to when problems need to "be resolved" in a manner which cannot be associated with the Congressional offices. When Mahoney orders DeMarco to meet with Homeland Security Secretary Andy Banks, our appealing protagonist learns that Banks received a warning note concerning the assassination attempt days before the event occurred. The note was immediately passed on to Secret Service Director Patrick Donnelly, who obviously did not act on it. Banks asks DeMarco to investigate a secret service agent for possible complicity in the crime. The deeper Joe digs the more suspicious, unsubstantiated "non admissible evidence" he discovers. And none of the information points to the man who supposedly fired the shots - the one who conveniently committed suicide before further investigation could be conducted. DeMarco is a terrific character, and his wit, (the author's really), honesty, resilience, along with the quirky crew he brings into the case to assist him, make the novel more unique than it would be ordinarily. After all, there is usually a glut of well-written political thrillers on the market. Joe's fact finding takes him from Washington, DC, to Georgia's Chattooga River, and finally, to a southern Georgia county which encompasses a big part of the Okefenokee Swamps. We travel with him through as many twists and turns a plot can take and still be navigable. I really enjoyed this chilling debut novel, loved the humor, and highly recommend it! JANA
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