CATEGORY

Phillip Barkley, the disillusioned protagonist of this nifty political thriller, has been sidelined as an investigator at the Justice Department since he blew the whistle on a fundraising scandal on Capitol Hill. About to chuck his pretense of a job and head to the West Coast to restart his life, he's still grieving the death of his daughter when Martin Green, the aide to a presidential hopeful, goes missing in what might be the kind of breach of national security that could destroy Warren Young's hopes for higher office. When Green's body is found, Phillip is assigned to work with an ambitious young FBI agent who's too politically naive to understand that she and Barkley are supposed to close the case before it can taint Young's campaign, not find out who framed Green and why. But whoever it is that doesn't think they've gotten the message will do whatever's necessary to keep Phillip from stumbling on the same truth that got Green killed--including killing again. Double-dealing abounds in this well-written, fast-paced story, which has as many twists and turns as the road to the White House. --Jane Adams